Improving Seeding Success on Cheatgrass-Infested Rangelands in Northern Nevada

Abstract

On the Ground Cheatgrass has transformed secondary succession in arid sagebrush plant communities in the Great Basin by providing a fine-textured, early maturing fuel that increases the chance, rate, spread, and season of wildfires. The best known method to suppress cheatgrass densities and associated fuels is through the establishment of perennial grasses. Crested wheatgrass plots seeded the first fall following the wildfire (2006) averaged an establishment of 9.6 plants/m2 compared with plots seeded the second fall at 3.9 plants/m2. Native perennial species bluegrass and squirreltail experienced high failure rates. Over the 2-year study, un-disced cheatgrass plots averaged more than 1,350 cheatgrass seeds/m2, while plots receiving our April/May discing application averaged fewer than 250 cheatgrass seeds/m2, an 82% reduction in cheatgrass seed bank densities, which significantly improved seeded species establishment. The use of soil-active herbicides, Imazapic (Plateau) and Sulfometuron methyl (Landmark...