Fall-Grazing and Grazing-Exclusion Effects on Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) Seed Bank Assays in Nevada, United States

Downy brome (Bromus tectorumL. # BROTE), also known as cheatgrass, downy chess, broncograss, Mormon oats, and junegrass, was introduced into the United States from Europe, apparently during the middle of the nineteenth century (11, 21). According to Mack (23), downy brome entered British Columbia, Washington, and Utah around 1890; and by 1928 it had reached its present range, occupying much of the perennial grassland in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, and British Columbia. Today, downy brome is a widespread weed throughout most of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, except for the southeastern United States (5, 17). Some consider downy brome to be an important forage because it provides most of the early spring grazing for livestock in western United States rangeland (21). However, it is also considered a troublesome weed in rangeland (31), winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) (27), several other crops (29), and noncropland (32).

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Effects of grazing exclusion and environmental conditions on the soil seed bank of a Mediterranean grazed oak wood pasture

Agroforestry Systems ◽

10.1007/s10457-018-0203-0 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 92 (4) ◽

pp. 909-919 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Antonello Franca ◽

Giovanni Antonio Re ◽

Federico Sanna

Keyword(s):

Seed Bank ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Soil Seed Bank ◽

Oak Wood ◽

Grazing Exclusion ◽

Wood Pasture

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Microsite Requirements for Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum) Infestation and Control on Sagebrush Rangelands

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500060197 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 32 (S1) ◽

pp. 13-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Raymond A. Evans ◽

James A. Young

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Bromus Tectorum ◽

Perennial Grasses ◽

Western United States ◽

Downy Brome ◽

Forage Production ◽

And Control

The sagebrush (Artemisia)-grass ecosystem is an extensive and important rangeland type in the western United States. Estimates of total area of this ecosystem vary from 38 million ha (21, 22) to 109 million ha (3). Of the sagebrush-grass rangelands, 88% are degraded to the point that they are producing 50% or less of their forage potential (22). Low forage production on these rangelands has been caused by overgrazing and other past land abuses (24) resulting in severe depletion of native perennial grasses, dominance of brush, and, on millions of hectares, downy brome (Bromus tectorumL. # BROTE) dominance of the understory.

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Secondary dormancy of seeds in relation to the Bromus tectorum–Pyrenophora semeniperda pathosystem

Plant Protection Science ◽

10.17221/30/2013-pps ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 49 (Special Issue) ◽

pp. S11-S14 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

K.K. Hawkins ◽

P. Allen ◽

S. Meyer

Keyword(s):

Seed Germination ◽

Field Study ◽

Seed Bank ◽

Fungal Pathogen ◽

Bromus Tectorum ◽

Large Fraction ◽

Annual Grass ◽

Late Autumn ◽

Secondary Dormancy ◽

Laboratory Results

Bromus tectorum is a highly invasive annual grass. The fungal pathogen Pyrenophora semeniperda can kill a large fraction of B. tectorum seeds. Outcomes in this pathosystem are often determined by the speed of seed germination. In this paper we extend previous efforts to describe the pathosystem by characterising secondary dormancy acquisition of B. tectorum. In the laboratory approximately 80% of seeds incubated at –1.0 MPa became dormant. In the field, seeds were placed in the seed bank in late autumn, retrieved monthly and dormancy status determined. The field study confirmed the laboratory results; ungerminated seeds became increasingly dormant. Our data suggest that secondary dormancy is much more likely to occur at xeric sites.

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Effects of Targeted Grazing and Prescribed Burning on Community and Seed Dynamics of a Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum)–Dominated Landscape

Invasive Plant Science and Management ◽

10.1614/ipsm-d-10-00065.1 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

pp. 259-269 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Joel M. Diamond ◽

Christopher A. Call ◽

Nora Devoe

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

Seed Bank ◽

Community Dynamics ◽

Prescribed Burning ◽

Bromus Tectorum ◽

Downy Brome ◽

Stable States ◽

Targeted Grazing ◽

Northern Nevada ◽

Seed Dynamics

AbstractDowny brome (Bromus tectorum L.)—dominated communities can remain as stable states for long periods, even with frequent disturbance by grazing and fire. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using targeted cattle grazing and late-season prescribed burning, alone and in combination, to reduce B. tectorum seed bank input and seed bank density and thus alter aboveground community dynamics (species composition) on a B. tectorum–dominated landscape in northern Nevada. Cattle removed 80 to 90% of standing biomass in grazed plots in May of 2005 and 2006 when B. tectorum was in the boot (phenological) stage. Grazed and ungrazed plots were burned in October 2005 and 2006. The combined grazing–burning treatment was more effective than either treatment alone in reducing B. tectorum seed input and seed bank density, and in shifting species composition from a community dominated by B. tectorum to one composed of a suite of species, with B. tectorum as a component rather than a dominant. This study provides a meso-scale precursor for landscape-scale adaptive management using grazing and burning methodologies.

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Meta-Prediction of Bromus tectorum Invasion in Central Utah, United States

Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing ◽

10.14358/pers.75.6.689 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 75 (6) ◽

pp. 689-701 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Nicholas Etienne Clinton ◽

Peng Gong ◽

Zhenyu Jin ◽

Bing Xu ◽

Zhiliang Zhu

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Bromus Tectorum

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The History and Distribution of Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum) in North America

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500060173 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 32 (S1) ◽

pp. 2-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Larry A. Morrow ◽

Phillip W. Stahlman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

North America ◽

Winter Wheat ◽

Great Basin ◽

Bromus Tectorum ◽

Production Systems ◽

Western United States ◽

Downy Brome ◽

Tillage Practices ◽

Agricultural Production Systems

Downy brome (Bromus tectorumL. # BROTE) has developed into a severe weed in several agricultural production systems throughout North America, particularly on rangeland and in winter wheat (Triticum aestivumL.). Several million hectares of winter wheat, pastureland, alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.), grass seed fields, and overgrazed rangeland, as well as other crops, have been invaded by this annual grass since its introduction into this hemisphere. Downy brome is most abundant in the Great Basin and Columbia Basin areas of the western United States, but is found throughout the continental United States and parts of Canada and Mexico. In some cases, the vegetation on overgrazed rangeland consists totally of downy brome, while winter wheat growers in the western United States proclaim it as their worst weed problem. Changes in tillage practices that are currently being implemented for the control of soil erosion coupled with the lack of selective herbicides for the control of downy brome have aided its increase and spread.

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