Tebuthiuron Use in Restoring Degraded Tallgrass Prairies and Warm-season Grass Pastures

Abstract

Tallgrass prairies pastures are desirable grazing resources and preferred habitat for some wildlife species. Invasion of cool-season grass into these warm-season dominated grasslands is a common problem, and selectively removing cool-season grasses can be a challenge. In four trials conducted in southeastern Nebraska, we evaluated the effectiveness of the herbicide tebuthiuron, applied at rates between 0.7 and 2.7 kg ai ha−1, on selectively controlling cool-season grasses in tallgrass prairie pastures. We included glyphosate (1.3 kg ae ha−1) and imazapic glyphosate (0.21 0.4 kg ae ha−1) in two of the trials for comparison. In three of the four trials, tebuthiuron at 0.9 kg ha−1 or greater reduced cool-season grass yields by over 60% and increased warm-season grass yields by 50 to 300%. Glyphosate and imazapic glyphosate reduced cool-season grass yields but had no effect on warm-season grass or forb yields.