Responses of Native Plants and Downy Brome to a Water-Conserving Soil Amendment

AbstractDowny brome (Bromus tectorum L.) is a common impediment to ecological restoration, because its seedbank remains viable after repeated treatment with herbicides. Soil solarization has been used in ecological restoration to control seedbanks of invasive plants. Here we test the efficacy of soil solarization to reduce B. tectorum cover and establish native plants at a site in B. tectorum’s core invasive range with a long history of disturbance and infestation. Solarization raised soil temperatures by as much as 13 C and reduced B. tectorum densities by approximately 20-fold. In 30 plots solarized for 0 to 101 d, B. tectorum emerged in inverse abundance to treatment duration. Broadleaf weeds were less abundant than B. tectorum before treatment, and diminished under solarization, but their response to solarization was weaker than B. tectorum’s, and they emerged in greater numbers than B. tectorum 2 to 3 yr after treatment. When seeded after solarization, a native perennial bunchgrass, squirreltail [Elymus elymoides (Raf.) Swezey], did not differ in abundance between solarized and control plots. Solarization may facilitate B. tectorum control on a small scale without jeopardizing the establishment of native plants, but only if treatment durations are long and subsequent management of broadleaf weeds and remnant B. tectorum is planned.

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The BMP That Keeps on Giving: Quantifying the Impact of Native Plants on Soil Water Properties

Low Impact Development Technology: Design Methods and Case Studies ◽

10.1061/9780784413883.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Scott Dierks

Keyword(s):

Soil Water ◽

Native Plants ◽

Water Properties ◽

The Impact ◽

Soil Water Properties

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Poultry Manure as a Fertilizer

EDIS ◽

10.32473/edis-aa205-2013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 (11) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Michael A. Davis ◽

Doug R. Sloan ◽

Gerald Kidder ◽

R. D. Jacobs

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Nitrogen Content ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Poultry Manure ◽

Nutrient Retention ◽

High Nitrogen Content ◽

High Nitrogen ◽

Animal Science ◽

Fact Sheet

Animal manures have been used as natural crop fertilizers for centuries. Because of poultry manure’s high nitrogen content, it has long been recognized as one of the most desirable manures. Besides fertilizing crops, manures also supply other essential plant nutrients and serve as a soil amendment by adding organic matter, which helps improve the soil’s moisture and nutrient retention. Organic matter persistence will vary with temperature, drainage, rainfall, and other environmental factors. This 2-page fact sheet was written by Michael A. Davis, D.R. Sloan, Gerald Kidder, and R.D. Jacobs, and published by the UF Department of Animal Science, November 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/aa205

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