Native forb response to sulfometuron methyl on medusahead-invaded rangeland in Eastern Oregon
Mounir Louhaichi A B E , Michael F. Carpinelli C , Lesley M. Richman D and Douglas E. Johnson A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Rangeland Ecology and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
B International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Aleppo, Syria.
C Current address: USDA/Forest Service, Albuquerque, NM 87113, USA, Formerly Agricultural Research Service, EOARC, Burns, OR 97720, USA.
D USDI/Bureau of Land Management, Burns, OR 97720, USA.
E Corresponding author. Email: M.Louhaichi@cgiar.org
The Rangeland Journal 34(1) 47-53 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ11021
Submitted: 24 April 2011 Accepted: 3 August 2011 Published: 29 February 2012
Abstract
Medusahead [Taeniatherum caput-medusae (L.) Nevski], a non-native, winter-annual grass (Poaceae), has invaded rangelands throughout the western USA. Medusahead is an aggressive competitor that crowds out native plants and reduces forage for wildlife and livestock. Sulfometuron methyl is a sulfonylurea herbicide used to control medusahead, but its effect on non-target native forbs is largely unknown. We assessed the impact of an autumn application of sulfometuron methyl on native forbs on the sagebrush/bunchgrass steppe of eastern Oregon over 3 years. We applied 70 g a.i./ha (1.0 oz. a.i./acre) of sulfometuron methyl to randomly selected locations on three sites in a split-plot-in-time (repeated-measures) experimental design. Three years after treatment, 6 of the 11 forb species studied had a significant reduction in density (P < 0.05), with densities ranging from 3 to 60% of the pre-treatment levels. The results of this study suggest that the benefit of medusahead control by sulfometuron methyl should be weighed against the damage to non-target species.
Additional keywords: Great Basin, image processing, invasive annual grass, non-target, Oust, population dynamics, Taeniatherum caput-medusa, VegMeasure.
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