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Percent Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) in the Diets of Grazing Sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Lisa M. M. Surber ,
Mark E. Rude ,
Brent L. Roeder ,
Tracy K. Mosley ,
Allison V. Grove ,
John W. Walker  and
Rodney W. Kott
Lisa M. M. Surber
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
Mark E. Rude
Affiliation:
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
Brent L. Roeder
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
Tracy K. Mosley
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
Allison V. Grove
Affiliation:
AG Research, L.L.C., P.O. Box 892, White Sulphur Springs, MT 59645
John W. Walker
Affiliation:
Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at San Angelo, San Angel, TX 76901
Rodney W. Kott*
Affiliation:
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: rkott@montana.edu
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Abstract

The objective of this study was to use fecal near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to estimate the percent spotted knapweed in the diet of grazing ewes to fine tune grazing prescriptions. In trial 1, five ewes were randomly selected from a band of 900 ewes to estimate weekly variation in percent spotted knapweed in the diet. Fecal samples from these ewes were collected weekly from June 22 through August 17 (nine collections per ewe for a total of 45 observations). In trial 2, fecal samples were collected from 89 ewes in the band to estimate variability in percent spotted knapweed in the diet among sheep at two sampling dates corresponding to the bud (July 13) and postflowering (August 15) stages of spotted knapweed phenology. In trial 1, the percent spotted knapweed in the diet was similar (P > 0.05) on June 22, June 29, July 13, and July 20 but was greater (P < 0.05) on July 6 than June 22 and 29. Percent spotted knapweed in the diet was also greater (P < 0.05) from July 27 through August 17 than from June 22 through July 20. On July 13 in trial 2, 55% of ewes had 0 to 5% spotted knapweed in their diets, whereas 44% of ewes had 5 to 20% spotted knapweed in their diets. On August 15, only 1% of ewes had < 10% spotted knapweed in their diets, whereas 44% of ewes had 20 to 25% spotted knapweed in their diets. The estimated percent spotted knapweed in the diet of the 89 ewes in trial 2 was similar to that of the five ewes during the same time period in sampling trial 1 (5.3% compared with 5.0% for sampling trials 1 and 2, respectively, on July 13 and 22.0% compared with 20.7% on August 15 and 17 for trials 1 and 2, respectively). This is the first study to estimate percent spotted knapweed in the diet of individual grazing ewes. These data suggest that the best time to graze spotted knapweed–infested pastures would be in late July or early August, when spotted knapweed is flowering, but before viable seed production.

Keywords

Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe L. ssp. micranthos (Gugler) HayekPrescribed livestock grazingtargeted livestock grazingweedsfecal NIRS
Type
Research
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 4 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 95 - 101
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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