scholarly journals Imidazolinone Herbicides Improve Restoration of Great Plains Grasslands

1996 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 392-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Masters ◽  
Scott J. Nissen ◽  
Roch E. Gaussoin ◽  
Daniel D. Beran ◽  
Robert N. Stougaard
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Productive Capacity ◽  
Big Bluestem ◽  
Little Bluestem ◽  
Imidazolinone Herbicides

The productivity and native species diversity of Great Plains grasslands have been substantially reduced by past management that facilitated the establishment of invasive exotic weeds and displacement of native species. Management strategies are needed to rapidly restore the productive capacity and biological diversity of these degraded grasslands. Critically important phases of the grassland restoration process are the reintroduction and establishment of native species. Weed interference is the primary constraint to successful establishment of native plants. The goal of our research is to develop strategies that use multiple technologies, including herbicides, to expedite grassland revegetation with native grasses and forbs. Imidazolinone herbicides (AC 263,333, imazapyr, and imazethapyr) were used successfully to improve establishment of native perennial grasses (big bluestem, switchgrass, little bluestem) and selected forbs (blackeyed-susan, purple prairieclover, Illinois bundleflower, trailing crownvetch, and upright prairie coneflower) on cropland and as components of a strategy to revegetate leafy spurge-infested rangeland with native tallgrasses. Imazethapyr at 70 or 110 g ai/ha applied at planting resulted in stands of big bluestem and little bluestem that were similar or superior to stands established where atrazine was applied. Seedling grasses were susceptible to imazapyr at two of three study sites. Imazapyr at 560 g ai/ha plus sulfometuron at 100 g ai/ha applied in fall was the optimum treatment for suppression of leafy spurge and exotic cool-season grasses and establishment of big bluestem and switchgrass on degraded rangeland sites. Establishment of selected forbs was improved by PRE treatment with AC 263,222 or imazethapyr at 70 g ai/ha. This research provides evidence that the imidazolinone herbicides can be important components of integrated weed management strategies designed to reverse deterioration of grasslands by reestablishing native species, improving grassland productivity, and decreasing the prevalence of exotic weeds.

Revegetating Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)-Infested Rangeland with Native Tallgrasses

1998 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 381-390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Masters ◽  
Scott J. Nissen
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Leafy Spurge ◽  
Plant Residue ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Big Bluestem ◽  
Perennial Weed ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
No Till

Degradation of Great Plains rangelands can be linked to past management practices that reduced native species diversity and accelerated establishment and expansion of exotic weeds and less desirable native species. Leafy spurge is an exotic perennial weed that infests more than 1 million ha in the northern Great Plains and reduces rangeland carrying capacity by competing with desirable forages and causing infested areas to be undesirable to cattle and wildlife. Research was conducted to determine the feasibility of using herbicides to suppress leafy spurge and other resident vegetation, which facilitated planting and establishment of native tallgrasses. Four experiments were conducted where 0.28, 0.56, and 0.84 kg ai/ha imazapyr and 0.1 kg ai/ha sulfometuron were applied alone and in combination and 0.84 kg ai/ha glyphosate was applied to leafy spurge-infested range sites in fall 1991 near Ainsworth, NE, and in fall 1991, 1992, and 1993 near Ansley, NE. Research areas were burned about 200 d after herbicide application to reduce plant residue. Monoculture stands of big bluestem and switchgrass were then no-till planted in each experiment and indiangrass was no-till planted in experiments initiated at Ansley in 1992 and 1993. Yields of the planted grasses, leafy spurge, and other vegetation were measured in August at each location starting the year after planting. Imazapyr was an essential component of treatments applied before planting to facilitate establishment of highly productive stands of the tallgrasses. Generally, yields were maximized by fall treatments of 0.28 kg/ha imazapyr + 0.1 kg/ha sulfometuron for big bluestem, 0.84 kg/ha imazapyr for indiangrass, and 0.84 kg/ha imazapyr + 0.1 kg/ha sulfometuron for switchgrass. Yields of the planted grasses were frequently four times greater where these herbicides were applied compared to where glyphosate or no herbicide were applied. Leafy spurge yields were usually reduced in areas where tallgrass yields were greatest. The sequential combination of suppressing vegetation with fall-applied herbicides, burning standing dead plant residue, then no-till planting desirable native tallgrasses in the spring increased productivity of these leafy spurge-infested range sites.

scholarly journals A floristic survey of the Boulder Mountain Park: with notes on its conservation and management (Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.)

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 279-314
Author(s):  
Tim Hogan
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Rocky Mountain ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Public Land Management ◽  
Montane Vegetation ◽  
The City

The City of Boulder Mountain Park sits in the eastern foothills of the northern Front Range of Colorado. Approximately 7000 acres (2800 ha) in extent, the study area is characterized by a foothills and montane vegetation and flora, predominantly of western North American distribution. Situated at the interface of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, the flora of the Mountain Park is distinguished by a wealth of species with eastern woodland affinities, as well as a number of southern Rocky Mountain species endemic to the Front Range. Six hundred and ninety-eight (698) species of vascular plants in 426 genera and 100 families are documented in this survey. Twenty (20) of the plants are listed as Species of Special Concern by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, with an additional 26 listed as sensitive by the City of Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Department (OSMP). Introduced non-native species constitute 21% of the flora (147 species), a figure that exaggerates their ecological role in the Park; less than a dozen introduced species are of serious concern in their impact upon native diversity. The Mountain Park is viewed by many as the crown jewel of the City’s OSMP system, and serves as a model for public land management across other open spaces in urban areas nationwide. These forested foothills, with their prominent relief and associated diversity of habitats, serve as one of the last low-elevation nature refuges along the Colorado Front Range. With the increasing urbanization of the region and the loss of biological diversity worldwide, the wisdom of the Boulder community in protecting this landscape is becoming ever more apparent. This report presents a thoroughly revised checklist of the flora of the Boulder Mountain Parks since the area was last inventoried in 1993.

scholarly journals Native Amazonian Canga Grasses Show Distinct Nitrogen Growth Responses in Iron Mining Substrates

Plants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 849
Author(s):  
Cecilio F. Caldeira ◽  
Madson O. Lima ◽  
Silvio J. Ramos ◽  
Markus Gastauer
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Adaptive Traits ◽  
N Application ◽  
Gas Exchanges ◽  
Stomatal Morphology ◽  
Iron Mining ◽  
Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽  
Biomass Increase

Native species may have adaptive traits that are advantageous for overcoming the adverse environmental conditions faced during the early stages of mine land rehabilitation. Here, we examined the nitrogen (N) growth responses of two native perennial grasses (Axonopus longispicus and Paspalum cinerascens) from canga in nutrient-poor iron mining substrates. We carried out vegetative propagation and recovered substantial healthy tillers from field-collected tussocks of both species. These tillers were cultivated in mining substrates at increasing N levels. The tillering rates of both species increased with the N application. Nonetheless, only in P. cinerascens did the N application result in significant biomass increase. Such growth gain was a result of changes in leaf pigment, stomatal morphology, gas exchanges, and nutrients absorption that occurred mainly under the low N additions. Reaching optimum growth at 80 mg N dm−3, these plants showed no differences from those in the field. Our study demonstrates that an input of N as fertilizer can differentially improve the growth of native grasses and that P. cinerascens plants are able to deposit high quantities of carbon and protect soil over the seasons, thus, making them promising candidates for restoring nutrient cycling, accelerating the return of other species and ecosystem services.

Adapting environmental conservation legislation for an enlarged European Union: experience from the Habitats Directive

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS EVANS ◽  
ANDRÁS DEMETER ◽  
PETER GAJDOŠ ◽  
ĽUBOŠ HALADA
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
National Level ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Habitats Directive ◽  
Scientific Support ◽  
Union Experience ◽  
Biodiversity Governance ◽  
The Eu ◽  
Initial Base

SUMMARYThe European Union's (EU's) Habitats Directive includes annexes listing the habitats and species requiring protection. As new countries join the EU these lists need to be amended to remain pertinent. In 2004 and 2007, 12 countries, mostly in central Europe, joined the EU and were asked to propose native species or habitats that required protection; this formed an initial base for negotiations with the European Commission in consultation with the existing member states and with scientific support from the European Topic Centre on Biological Diversity. The 12 countries made 831 proposals, resulting in the addition of 191 species and 33 habitats, and geographical exemptions for eight species. Although the Directive provided definitions, these needed to be supplemented with additional criteria to permit assessments of the proposals. The process involved many actors at both European and national level. This illustrates the development of biodiversity governance and provides potential lessons for future activities, including the need for scientific guidance and the importance of involving all relevant actors.

Diverse Management Strategies Produce Similar Ecological Outcomes on Ranches in Western Great Plains: Social-Ecological Assessment

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hailey Wilmer ◽  
David J. Augustine ◽  
Justin D. Derner ◽  
María E. Fernández-Giménez ◽  
David D. Briske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Great Plains ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Ecological Assessment ◽  
Social Ecological ◽  
Western Great Plains

Managing Alien Plants for Biodiversity Outcomes—the Need for Triage

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul O. Downey ◽  
Moira C. Williams ◽  
Leonie K. Whiffen ◽  
Bruce A. Auld ◽  
Mark A. Hamilton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Policy Reforms ◽  
Management Decisions ◽  
Alien Plant ◽  
Triage System

AbstractRecognition that alien plants pose a significant threat to biodiversity has not always translated into effective management strategies, policy reforms, and systems to establish priorities. Thus, many alien plant management decisions for the protection of biodiversity occur with limited knowledge of what needs to be protected (other than biodiversity in a generalized sense) or the urgency of actions. To rectify this, we have developed a triage system that enables alien plant management decisions to be made based on (1) the urgency of control relative to the degree of threat posed to biodiversity, compared with (2) the likelihood of achieving a successful conservation outcome as a result of alien plant control. This triage system is underpinned by a two-step approach, which identifies the biodiversity at risk and assesses sites to determine priorities for control. This triage system was initially developed to manage the threat posed by bitou bush to native species in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. It has subsequently been improved with the national assessment of lantana in Australia, and the adaptation from a single to multiple alien plant species approach on a regional scale. This triage system identifies nine levels of priority for alien plant management aimed at biodiversity conservation, ranging from immediate, targeted action to limited or no action. The development of this approach has enabled long-term management priorities to be set for widespread alien plants that are unlikely to be eradicated. It also enables control to occur in a coordinated manner for biodiversity conservation at a landscape scale, rather than as a series of individual unconnected short-term actions.

Genetic pollution of native eucalypt gene pools—identifying the risks

2003 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. M. Potts ◽  
R. C. Barbour ◽  
A. B. Hingston ◽  
R. E. Vaillancourt
Keyword(s):  
Related Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Pollen Dispersal ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
European Settlement ◽  
Genetic Pollution ◽  
Plantation Species ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands

The contamination of native-eucalypt gene pools via exotic pollen is of concern as (i) pollen dispersal is believed to be much more widespread than seed dispersal, (ii) reproductive barriers are often weak between closely related species, (iii) European settlement has already had a major impact on Australia's eucalypt woodlands and mallee, (iv) there has been a rapid expansion of eucalypt plantations and restoration plantings in Australia and (v) Australia is the custodian of an internationally important genetic resource. Pollen flow between plantation and native eucalypt species has already been reported and implementation of strategies to minimise the risk and consequences of genetic pollution is important if Australian forestry is to be considered sustainable. The risks associated with the introduction of non-native species, provenances and hybrids include direct effects on the gene pool through genetic pollution as well as indirect effects on dependent biodiversity. In many cases, the risk of genetic pollution will be small due to strong barriers to hybridisation between distantly related species, differences in flowering time or poor fitness of hybrids. There is no risk of hybridisation between species from the different major eucalypt genera and/or subgenera (e.g. symphyomyrts, monocalypts, eudesmids, bloodwoods and angophora). The main plantation species are symphyomyrts and within this subgenus, the probability of successful hybridisation generally decreases with increasing taxonomic distance between species. The planting of non-local provenances or improved material within the range of native populations has the potential to have an impact on local gene pools to varying degrees, indicating the requirement for the adoption of management strategies to reduce this risk. Naturally small or remnant populations are at particular risk. A framework for assessment of the risk of genetic pollution is developed herein.

Contrasting research approaches to managing mistletoes in commercial forests and wooded pasturesThis minireview is one of a collection of papers based on a presentation from the Stem and Shoot Fungal Pathogens and Parasitic Plants: the Values of Biological Diversity session of the XXII International Union of Forestry Research Organization World Congress meeting held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, in 2005.

Botany ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Reid ◽  
Simon F. Shamoun
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Dwarf Mistletoe ◽  
Silvicultural Treatments ◽  
Inundative Biological Control

Many mistletoe species are pests in agricultural and forest ecosystems throughout the world. Mistletoes are unusual “weeds” as they are generally endemic to areas where they achieve pest status and, therefore, classical biological control and broad-scale herbicidal control are usually impractical. In North American coniferous forests, dwarf mistletoe ( Arceuthobium spp.) infection results in major commercial losses and poses a public liability in recreation settings. Hyperparasitic fungi have potential as biological control agents of dwarf mistletoe, including species which attack shoots, berries, and the endophytic systems of dwarf mistletoe. Development of an inundative biological control strategy will be useful in situations where traditional silvicultural control is impractical or undesirable. In southern Australia, farm eucalypts are often attacked and killed by mistletoes ( Amyema spp.) in grazed landscapes where tree decline and biodiversity loss are major forms of land degradation. Although long-term strategies to achieve a balance between mistletoe and host abundance are promoted, many graziers want short-term options to treat severely infected trees. Recent research has revisited the efficiency and efficacy of silvicultural treatments and selective herbicides in appropriate situations. The results of recent research on these diverse management strategies in North America and Australia are summarized.

Imazapic Effects on Competition Dynamics Between Native Perennial Grasses and Downy Brome (Bromus tectorum)

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shayla A. Burnett ◽  
Brian A. Mealor
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Relative Yield ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Downy Brome ◽  
Replacement Series ◽  
Application Timing ◽  
Ecosystem Disturbance ◽  
Series Design ◽  
Species Establishment ◽  
Negative Impacts

AbstractDowny brome inhibits revegetation efforts following ecosystem disturbance. Imazapic is a commonly used herbicide for downy brome management, but more information is needed regarding effective application timing for restoration efforts. We wished to determine (1) if native species establishment exhibited a tradeoff between downy brome competition and injury from herbicide and (2) if this differed between pre- and postemergent applications of imazapic. We used a standard replacement series design and overlaid herbicide treatments. Nine weeks after planting, aboveground biomass was harvested and relative yield (RY) indices calculated. Both imazapic applications reduced downy brome biomass by 91% or more (P < 0.05). Imazapic caused drastic reductions in native biomass but less than what was caused by downy brome competition (P < 0.05). Natives were less injured by a pre- than postemergent application (P < 0.05). In situations where downy brome may impact restoration efforts, pre-emergent applications of imazapic at 70 g ai ha−1 (0.06 lb ai ac−1) may reduce downy brome with less negative impacts on newly-seeded native grasses than post-emergent applications. Ensuring sufficient proportions of native species seeds on restoration sites may reduce downy brome.

scholarly journals Implementing Target 10 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation at the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland

2013 ◽  
pp. 125-142
Author(s):  
Noeleen Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Native Species ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Botanic Gardens ◽  
Early Introduction ◽  
Carpobrotus Edulis ◽  
Chemical Treatments

The importance of managing invasive non-native species (INNS), be it through eradication or limitation, is set out in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which states that parties to the Convention should ‘prevent, control or eradicate alien species’ (IUCN, 2000). Unfortunately there is some evidence that botanic gardens have been implicated in being responsible for the early introduction of many environmental weeds listed by IUCN as among the worst invasive species (Hulme, 2011). Stronger global networking between botanic gardens to tackle the problem of INNS has been suggested by Hulme. Botanic gardens have a remit to meet Target 10 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) and the European Strategy for Plant Conservation (ESPC) Targets 10.1 and 10.2. The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, in conjunction with University College Dublin and Mayo and Fingal County Councils, with grant funding from the Heritage Council, has monitored populations then researched and implemented effective control methods of two escaped garden plants: Hottentot fig (Carpobrotus edulis (L.) N.E. Br.) and giant rhubarb (Gunnera tinctoria (Molina) Mirb.) in EU protected habitats and in Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) in Ireland. Chemical treatments were trialled and tested in the field for both species, and successful regeneration of native vegetation in formerly invaded areas has been observed since treatments began in 2009.

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