By Scout Nelson
Cheatgrass, an invasive species, greens up and seeds earlier than native plants, consuming spring soil moisture and hindering native plant growth. Research on managing this invasive species is ongoing in Nebraska’s Panhandle, highlighted during a cheatgrass tour on June 26. The tour included pastures in Banner County, owned by Jack Revelle, who treated them with Rejuvra.
Miranda Mueller, a graduate research assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Panhandle Research Extension and Education Center in Scottsbluff, is conducting three studies on cheatgrass management with herbicides.
“We didn’t stop at any of my study sites on the tour, but Jack’s (Revelle) has the same treatment as my five study sites,” she explained. “One study focuses on the efficacy of indaziflam (Rejuvra) compared to a combination of indaziflam and imazapic and compared to a check.
The study was aerially treated with herbicide in July 2021. Cover data, dry weight rank, and species frequency data were collected in 2022 and 2023, so this summer will be the third-year post-treatment that data is collected on that site.”
Mueller's second study involves five different upland ecological sites near Scottsbluff, treated with indaziflam and imazapic in September 2022.
Biomass data collected from these sites show differences in species composition, production, and forage quality one-year post-application, with the second year of data collection occurring this summer.
The third study, still under analysis, compares greenhouse gas emissions between invaded, native, treated, and bare ranges. Initial data from Revelle’s pastures show significant biomass increases and improved nutrient quality post-treatment, highlighting the potential benefits of herbicide treatments for managing cheatgrass and improving pasture health.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-jacqueline-nix
Categories: Nebraska, General