Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T15:07:10.006Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seeding Cool-Season Grasses to Suppress Broom Snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum), and Weedy Forbs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Eric Thacker ,
Michael H. Ralphs  and
Thomas A. Monaco
Eric Thacker
Affiliation:
USDA/ARS Poisonous Plant Lab, Logan, UT 84341
Michael H. Ralphs*
Affiliation:
USDA/ARS Poisonous Plant Lab, Logan, UT 84341
Thomas A. Monaco
Affiliation:
USDA/ARS Forage and Range Lab, Logan, UT 84322
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Broom snakeweed (snakeweed) is an aggressive native range-weed found throughout arid and semiarid areas of the western United States, that increases following disturbances such as overgrazing, drought, or wildfire. Ecologically based strategies that include controlling snakeweed and reestablishing desirable herbaceous species are needed to restore productivity and diversity to invaded areas. The objective of this study was to compare the ability of selected introduced and native grass species and prostrate kochia (kochia) to prevent reinvasion of snakeweed, downy brome, and annual forbs following control. This field study was replicated at two sites (Howell and Nephi, Utah) within the sagebrush-steppe biome. Snakeweed and downy brome were controlled by picloram (0.25 kg/ha [0.22 lb/ac]) and glyphosate (1.5 kg/ha [1.3 lb/ac]). The seeding treatments were comprised of three introduced grasses and a mix of these species, three native grasses and a mix of these species, and kochia. The treatments were seeded into 3 by 15-m (10 by 50 ft) plots in October 2003. Frequency and biomass of seeded species, snakeweed, downy brome, other grasses, and annual forbs were measured in 2004, 2005, and 2008. Seeded species were evaluated for success of establishment and persistence, and their ability to restrict reinvasion of snakeweed, downy brome, and annual forbs. Crested wheatgrass and big squirreltail had the best initial establishment at both locations (> 75%). In contrast, kochia and Russian wildrye did not establish well at either site, and western wheatgrass did not establish well at Nephi. Snakeweed reestablishment was restricted in all treatments except the kochia treatments, in which kochia did not establish well. Frequency of downy brome increased at both sites, and annual forb frequency increased at Nephi to near 100%, but the better established grasses suppressed biomass production of these weedy species. Crested wheatgrass established best, had the greatest production, and provided greatest suppression of downy brome and annual weeds.

Keywords

Glyphosatepiclorambroom snakeweed, Gutierrezia sarothrae (Pursh) Britt. & Rusby GUESAdowny brome, Bromus tectorum L.big squirreltail, Elymus multisetus (J.G. Sm.) Jones ‘Sand Hollow’crested wheatgrass, Agropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertner × A. desertorum (Fisch. Ex Link) Schultes ‘Hycrest’prostrate kochia, Kochia prostrata (L.) Schrader ‘Immigrant’Russian wildrye, Psathyrostachys junceus (Fisch.) Nevski ‘Bozoisky’western wheatgrass, Pascopyrum smithii (Rybd.) A. Löve ‘Rosanna’Competitionweed resistant communitiessuccessional weed managementpoisonous plant
Type
Research
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 2 , Issue 3 , July 2009 , pp. 237 - 246
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Literature Cited

Call, C. A. and Roundy, B. A. 1991. Perspectives and processes in revegetation of arid and semiarid rangelands. J. Range Manage 44:543–549.Google Scholar
Chadwick, R. S. 1975. Soil Survey Box Elder County, Utah: Eastern Part. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. Washington DC U.S. Government Printing Office. 223.Google Scholar
Dollahite, J. W. and Anthony, W. V. 1957. Poisoning of cattle with Gutierrezia microcephala, a perennial broomweed. J. Am. Vet. Med. Assoc 130:525–530.Google Scholar
Evans, R. A. and Young, J. A. 1978. Effectiveness of rehabilitation practices following wildfire in a degraded big sagebrush downy brome community. J. Range Manage 31:185–188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Humphrey, D. and Schupp, E. W. 2004. Competition as a barrier to establishment of a native perennial grass (Elymus elymoides) in alien annual grass (Bromus tectorum) communities. J. Arid Environ 58:405–422.Google Scholar
Jensen, K., Horton, H., Reed, R., and Whitesides, R. 2001. Intermountain Planting Guide. Utah State Univ. Ext. Bull. AG510.Google Scholar
McDaniel, K. C. and Duncan, K. W. 1987. Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) control with picloram and metsulfuron. Weed Sci 35:837–841.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDaniel, K. C., Hart, C. R., and Carroll, D. B. 1997. Broom snakeweed control with fire on New Mexico blue grama rangeland. J. Range Manage 50:652–659.Google Scholar
McDaniel, K. C., Hart, C. R., and Carroll, D. B. 2000. Broom snakeweed establishment following fire and herbicide treatments. J. Range Manage 53:239–245.Google Scholar
Monaco, T. A., Waldron, B. L., Newhall, R. L., and Horton, W. H. 2003. Re-establishing perennial vegetation in cheatgrass monocultures. Rangelands 25:26–29.Google Scholar
Newhall, R. L., Monaco, T. A., Horton, W. H., Harrison, R. D., and Page, R. J. 2004. Rehabilitating salt-desert ecosystems following wildfire and wind erosion. Rangelands 26:3–7.Google Scholar
Pieper, R. D. and McDaniel, K. C. 1989. Ecology and management of broom snakeweed. Pages 1–11. In Huddleston, E. W. and Pieper, R. D. Snakeweed: Problems and Perspectives. Las Cruces College of Agriculture and Home Economics, New Mexico State University.Google Scholar
Platt, K. B. 1959. Plant control—some possibilities and limitations. II Vital statistics for range management. J. Range Manage 12:194–200.Google Scholar
Ralphs, M. H. 2009. Response of broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) and cool-season grasses to defoliation. Invasive Plant Sci. and Manage 2:28–35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ralphs, M. H. and Banks, J. E. 2009. Cattle grazing broom snakeweed as a biological control: vegetation response. Range. Ecol. Manage 62:38–43.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saxton, A. M. 1998. A macro for converting mean separation output to letter groupings in Proc Mixed. Pages 1242–1246. in. Proceedings of the 23rd SAS users Group International. Cary, NC SAS Institute.Google Scholar
Sheley, R. L. and Krueger-Mangold, J. 2003. Principles for restoring invasive plant-infested rangeland. Weed Sci 51:260–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sheley, R. L., Mangold, J., Goodwin, K., and Marks, J. 2008. Revegetation guidelines for the Great Basin: Considering invasive weeds. USDA/ARS Bull 168.Google Scholar
Sheley, R. L., Svejcar, T. J., Maxwell, B. D., and Jacobs, J. S. 1996. Successional rangeland weed management. Rangelands 18:155–159.Google Scholar
Svejcar, T. 2003. Applying ecological principles to wildland weed management. Weed Sci 51:266–270.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thacker, E., Ralphs, M. H., and Monaco, T. A. 2009. A comparison of inter- and intraspecific interference on broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) seedling growth. Invasive Plant Sci. Manage 2:36–44.Google Scholar
Trickler, D. L. 1984. Soil Survey of Fairfield-Nephi Area, Utah : Parts of Juab, Sanpete, and Utah Counties. United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Gov't Printing Office. 360.Google Scholar
Vogel, K. P. and Masters, R. A. 2001. Frequency grid—a simple tool for measuring grassland establishment. J. Range Manage 54:653–655.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Waldron, B. L., Monaco, T. A., Jensen, K. B., Harrison, R. D., Palazzo, A. J., and Kulbeth, J. B. 2005. Coexistence of native and introduced perennial grasses following simultaneous seeding. Agron. J 97:990–996.Google Scholar
Whitson, T. D. and Ferrell, M. A. 1989. Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae) control in two rangeland locations. Research Program Report 1:37. Western Society Weed Science.Google Scholar