Spring defoliation effects on bluebunch wheatgrass: II. Basal area
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Authors: P. E. Clark, W. C. Krueger, L. D. Bryant, and D. R. Thomas
Date: 1998
Journal: Journal of Range Management
Volume: 51
Number: 5
Pages: 526-530
Summary of Methods: Clark et al. report basal area change and mortality responses of bluebunch wheatgrass (Agropyron spicatum) to 3 spring, 1 winter, and 3 spring + winter defoliation treatments. Clipping half, when the plant was at mid-boot, differed between winter grazed and non winter grazed (basal area increased 6% and 18.6% respectively). Clipping whole plants at mid-boot or inflorescence, decreased basal area (significantly more than control with winter grazing). Experiment-wide plant mortality was only 0.2%. If managed for a moderate level of defoliation, where a portion of the basal area of each bunchgrass plant is left undefoliated, livestock grazing during the boot stage should have little negative impact on the vigor and survival of bluebunch wheatgrass under environmental conditions similar to northeastern Oregon.
Article Summary / Main Points: None
Vegetation Types:
MLRA Ecoregions:
Agrovoc Control Words: Riparian zones Rangelands Wildlife
Article Review Type: Refereed
Article Type: Experimental Research
Keywords: bluebunch wheatgrass, agropyron spicatum, elk, cervus elaphus, forage conditioning, mortality, phenology, plant vigor, winter range
Annotation: The 32 whole plots at each study site were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) control=unclipped; 2) mid-boot/whole-plant=entire basal area of all the bluebunch wheatgrass plants within respective whole plots was hand-clipped to a 7.6 cm stubble height; 3) mid-boot/half-plant=one half the basal area of all the individual bluebunch wheatgrass plants was clipped to a 7.6 cm stubble height; and 4) inflorescence emergence/whole-plant=same treatment as mid-boot/whole-plant. Each of the 16 subplots per whole plot were randomly assigned to a 2.5 cm clipping treatment. This clipping treatment was designed to simulate the effects of early winter elk utilization on the vigor of plants defoliated during the previous spring. The remaining 8 subplots per whole plot were left unclipped as a subplot control.
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