Rootplowing and Seeding Arid Rangelands in the Southwest

Abstract

Highlight: Twenty-three seedings were made across southern New Mexico following roofplowing of creosotebush or rarbush. Because of the harsh environment, equipment was used that in a single operation killed the brush, formed basin pits, planted rhe seed on a firm seedbed, and windrowed the dead brush over the seeded area. Good to excellent stands wex? obtained o,, 10 plots; 4 had fair stands. Many of the failures were i-elated to highly erosive or droughty sites, or to soils that form a hard surface CIUS~. Even under droughty conditions, there generally WAS a good stand of the seeded species where brush cover coincided with a low place where watw was concentrated. The species moot easily established on the sandy IO loamy sites infested with creosotebush were Lekmnnn and Boer lovegrass, black and sideoats grama, yellow bluestem, blue pnnic, and fourwing saltbush. On heavier soils, the best species were sideoats grame, yellow bluestem, and alkali mcaran. The exact seed mixture for any site depends on management objectives.