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Author: Valerie A. Fansler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crested wheatgrass
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) is a nonindigenous perennial grass that was introduced to North America to improve the condition of degraded rangelands. It has proven to be a successful revegetation species due to its superior ease of establishment, strong competitive ability, and ability to tolerate grazing. However, crested wheatgrass is criticized for its ability to form monotypic stands that result in low plant diversity. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of crested wheatgrass control methods on native plant establishment using a successional-based approach. I also looked at the effects crested wheatgrass control methods and revegetation had on crested wheatgrass and cheatgrass density and cover, and on soil nitrate, ammonium and water contents. I hypothesized that control methodologies and revegetation would decrease crested wheatgrass density and cover, increase the presence of native species, increase cheatgrass and annual forb density and cover, and initially increase soil nitrate, ammonium and water contents. In 2005, at one site in southeastern Oregon, 10 hectares of an established crested wheatgrass stand was treated with two control methods at two intensities: partial mechanical control (once disked), full mechanical control (twice disked), partial herbicide control (1/4 recommended rate of glyphosate), full herbicide control (full recommended rate of glyphosate), and an undisturbed control. In October 2005, one half of each plot was seeded with 10 native species, representing three different functional groups. These same procedures were repeated again in 2006. In June of 2006 and 2007, the density and cover of crested wheatgrass, cheatgrass, seeded species, and any weedy species phenologically competitive with the seeded species was sampled. In the first year the density of seeded species was: 30.1 plants m−2 in the partial mechanical control treatment; 43.9 plants m−2 in the full mechanical control treatment; 21.0 plants m−2 in the partial chemical control treatment; 22.0 plants m−2 in the full chemical control treatment; and 18.2 plants m−2 in the undisturbed treatment. By the second year all treatments were similar in seeded species density to the undisturbed treatment at 18.2 plants m−2 , suggesting that control strategies did not increase the density of seeded species. Crested wheatgrass density increased and cover increased with the control treatments. Cheatgrass and the annual forb alyssum (Alyssum alyssoides (L.)) increased in density and decreased in cover with the control treatments. Soil ammonium concentrations and water content increased the first year following control treatments and decreased in the second year. Soil nitrate concentrations increased the second year following control treatments. I believe that by using a successional approach to management, land managers can direct plant community dynamics to increase the establishment of native species and meet resource agency goals.
Author: Valerie A. Fansler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crested wheatgrass
Languages : en
Pages : 190
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Book Description
Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.) is a nonindigenous perennial grass that was introduced to North America to improve the condition of degraded rangelands. It has proven to be a successful revegetation species due to its superior ease of establishment, strong competitive ability, and ability to tolerate grazing. However, crested wheatgrass is criticized for its ability to form monotypic stands that result in low plant diversity. The main objective of this study was to determine the effect of crested wheatgrass control methods on native plant establishment using a successional-based approach. I also looked at the effects crested wheatgrass control methods and revegetation had on crested wheatgrass and cheatgrass density and cover, and on soil nitrate, ammonium and water contents. I hypothesized that control methodologies and revegetation would decrease crested wheatgrass density and cover, increase the presence of native species, increase cheatgrass and annual forb density and cover, and initially increase soil nitrate, ammonium and water contents. In 2005, at one site in southeastern Oregon, 10 hectares of an established crested wheatgrass stand was treated with two control methods at two intensities: partial mechanical control (once disked), full mechanical control (twice disked), partial herbicide control (1/4 recommended rate of glyphosate), full herbicide control (full recommended rate of glyphosate), and an undisturbed control. In October 2005, one half of each plot was seeded with 10 native species, representing three different functional groups. These same procedures were repeated again in 2006. In June of 2006 and 2007, the density and cover of crested wheatgrass, cheatgrass, seeded species, and any weedy species phenologically competitive with the seeded species was sampled. In the first year the density of seeded species was: 30.1 plants m−2 in the partial mechanical control treatment; 43.9 plants m−2 in the full mechanical control treatment; 21.0 plants m−2 in the partial chemical control treatment; 22.0 plants m−2 in the full chemical control treatment; and 18.2 plants m−2 in the undisturbed treatment. By the second year all treatments were similar in seeded species density to the undisturbed treatment at 18.2 plants m−2 , suggesting that control strategies did not increase the density of seeded species. Crested wheatgrass density increased and cover increased with the control treatments. Cheatgrass and the annual forb alyssum (Alyssum alyssoides (L.)) increased in density and decreased in cover with the control treatments. Soil ammonium concentrations and water content increased the first year following control treatments and decreased in the second year. Soil nitrate concentrations increased the second year following control treatments. I believe that by using a successional approach to management, land managers can direct plant community dynamics to increase the establishment of native species and meet resource agency goals.
Author: Aleta M. Nafus
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crested wheatgrass
Languages : en
Pages : 105
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Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L] Gaertm), an introduced bunchgrass, has been seeded on over 5 million hectares of degraded rangeland in western North America because it establishes more readily than native bunchgrasses. Because crested wheatgrass stands are associated with native species displacement and low biological diversity, there is substantial interest in re-establishing native species within seeded stands. However, efforts to reintroduce native grasses into crested wheatgrass stands have been largely unsuccessful, and little is known about the long-term dynamics of crested wheatgrass/native species mixes. This project was composed of two studies evaluating interactions between crested wheatgrass and associated native vegetation. In the first study, I examined the abundance of crested wheatgrass and seven native sagebrush steppe bunchgrasses which had been planted concurrently 13 years prior at equal densities. Thirteen years after planting, crested wheatgrass was the dominant bunchgrass with a ten-fold increase from its original planted density. Of the seven native bunchgrasses, four species: Idaho fescue (Festuca idahoensis Elmer); Thurber's needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum (Piper) Barkworth); basin wildrye (Leymus cinereus (Scribn. & Merr.) A. Löve) and Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl) maintained their low planting density while three species: bluebunch wheatgrass (Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Löve), needle-and-thread (Hesperostipa comata (Trin. & Rupr.) Barkworth), and squirreltail (Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey), declined in density over the 13-year period. Results suggested that densities of native bunchgrasses planted concurrently with crested wheatgrass were unlikely to increase and that some species only persisted at low levels. However, the continued persistence of native bunchgrasses, even at low densities, suggests that co-planting of some native bunchgrasses may be a viable way of avoiding crested wheatgrass monocultures when this species is necessary for rehabilitation or restoration. In the second study, I sought to identify environmental, historic and livestock management factors associated with native vegetation occasionally found in seeded crested wheatgrass stands. Basal cover, density, species richness and diversity were measured in 2012 and 2013 on 121 sites previously seeded to crested wheatgrass in southeastern Oregon. Plant community composition of crested wheatgrass stands was variable; some of the seedings were monocultures of crested wheatgrass while others contained diverse native species. Functional group variability explained by environmental factors ranged from 0% of annual grass density to 56% of large native perennial bunchgrass density. Soil texture was significant and appeared to be an important environmental characteristic explaining functional group cover and density 10-50 years post seeding. Native vegetation was, for all functional groups, positively correlated with soils lower in sand content. Precipitation in the year following seeding of crested wheatgrass has long-term effects on plant community dynamics, especially for Wyoming big sagebrush. Higher precipitation in the year following crested wheatgrass seeding was associated with decreased shrubs, likely because crested wheatgrass seedlings were more successful and therefore sagebrush seedlings experience greater competition. Moderate grazing was associated with reduced crested wheatgrass monoculture characteristics relative to ungrazed sites. However, within spring grazed and spring-summer grazed sites, there was a negative relationship between increased stocking rate and native species cover and abundance. I speculate that was largely the effect of higher stocking rates being allotted to more productive crested wheatgrass seedings. Overall, my research suggested that pre-seeding treatment/disturbance on a site appears to have long-term implications for plant community dynamics. However, functional groups varied in response to different pre-seeding treatments. Results support the notion that crested wheatgrass is very competitive with native bunchgrasses in particular; and that introducing natives into crested wheatgrass stands may require high levels of disturbance and may be most successful in more finely-textured soils. The results of this study also suggest that management actions, both at the time of seeding and after seeding, can influence plant community characteristics.
Author: George Albert Rogler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Crested wheatgrass
Languages : en
Pages : 8
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Author: Emily Blaine Repas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cheatgrass brome
Languages : en
Pages : 72
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While crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum, (L.) Gaertn.) is no longer used on public lands because it is a dominant, non-native species, its perennial life cycle, ability to resist invasion, and lack of spread may still be useful for improving reclamation in severely disturbed areas. The purpose of this study was to revisit and expand up the ideas of ‘assisted succession’ in Wyoming using crested wheatgrass as proposed by Cox and Anderson (2004). Success of different vegetation management and revegetation methods were compared between downy brome (Bromus tectorum) and crested wheatgrass to determine if the management of crested wheatgrass was easier. Soil attributes were also compared between crested wheatgrass, downy brome, and a reference community. Other portions of this study explored invasion resistant properties during and after crested wheatgrass establishment and how this species influences the weed seed bank. We found that tillage and tillage+glyphosate treatments were more successful in crested wheatgrass rather than a severe invasion, and that soil beneath crested wheatgrass demonstrates biochemical properties comparable to the soil beneath native vegetation. Lower seeding rates of crested wheatgrass can also be used to achieve the same amount of invasion resistance at the time of establishment than traditional rates. Lastly, while there is no direct correlation between crested wheatgrass and the amount of downy brome seed in an area, downy brome is still prevented from establishing and producing seed in a stand of crested wheatgrass. This study supports the viability of assisted succession using crested wheatgrass.
Author: April Hulet
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cheatgrass brome
Languages : en
Pages : 64
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Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertner (crested wheatgrass) continues to be seeded on burned wildlands. Effective control methods need to be developed to convert these seeding to more diverse native plant communities. This research was designed to determine effective ways to control A. cristatum and establish native species while minimizing weed invasion. We mechanically and chemically treated two sites followed by seeding native species. The study was replicated for 2 years as a randomized block split plot design with five blocks. Within each block, 0.4 ha main plots were either left undisturbed or received a mechanical (single or double-pass disking) or herbicide treatment (1.1 L/ha or 3.2 L/ha. Roundup Original Max) to partially or substantially reduce A. cristatum. Following wheatgrass control, main plots were divided into 0.2 ha subplots that were either unseeded or seeded wth a Truax Rough Rider rangeland drill in October 2005 and 2006. Density and cover data were collected in spring 2006, 2007 and 2008 for A. cristatum, Bromus tectorum L. (cheatgrass), perennial grasses and forbs, annual weeds, and sown species. Double disking was intially most effective in controlling A. cristatum. When compared to the undisturbed plots in 2006, double disking decreased wheatgrass cover significantly (P
Author: Kevin L. Gunnell
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Electronic dissertations
Languages : en
Pages :
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Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum [L.] Gaertn.) is one of the most commonly seeded exotic species in the western United States. Although many degraded Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis) plant communities have been seeded with crested wheatgrass during rehabilitation efforts, seed banks of these communities have not been characterized. I sought to characterize and explain the variation among 33 seeded communities in the northeastern Great Basin. Hierarchical clustering and principal components analysis identified four possible seed bank categories in these communities. Seed bank categories varied from high to low crested wheatgrass dominance. The crested wheatgrass-dominated category is a particularly attractive setting to develop management strategies that reduce crested wheatgrass dominance and increase native plant diversity. It is also a common practice to seed crested wheatgrass in mixture with native species after a disturbance to increase diversity. Empirical estimates as to how the density of crested wheatgrass seed and seedlings interfere with native species establishment have not been defined. A greenhouse experiment was established using an addition series design to determine the influence of interference between crested wheatgrass and four important native species. The existence of seed bank categories of Wyoming big sagebrush communities seeded with crested wheatgrass agrees with the hypothesis that seed banks closely resemble floristic composition. In addition, these results support the hypothesis that seed bank composition has a strong influence on succession in these communities, and characterizing seed banks is necessary to develop ecologically based management strategies for seeded Wyoming big sagebrush communities. Interference from crested wheatgrass on many native species suggests that further management practices to enhance diversity in crested wheatgrass dominated communities are necessary to reduce competition from crested wheatgrass in the seed bank as well as the aboveground vegetation. These results also suggest that the practice of simultaneously seeding native species with crested wheatgrass may likely result in poor native species persistence unless combined seed bank density and seeding rate of crested wheatgrass is sufficiently low.
Author: Stephen B. Monsen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Cheatgrass brome
Languages : en
Pages : 428
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Annual weeds continue to expand throughout the West eliminating many desirable species and plant communities. Wildfires are now common on lands infested with annual weeds, causing a loss of wildlife habitat and other natural resources. Measures can be used to reduce burning and restore native plant communities, but restoration is difficult and costly.
Author:
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Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 240
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Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 630
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Author:
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ISBN:
Category : Forests and forestry
Languages : en
Pages : 172
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