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Preventing Saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) Seedling Establishment in the Northern Prairie Pothole Region

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Michelle K. Ohrtman ,
Sharon A. Clay ,
David E. Clay ,
Eric M. Mousel  and
Alexander J. Smart
Michelle K. Ohrtman*
Affiliation:
South Dakota State University, Department of Plant Science, Brookings, SD 57007
Sharon A. Clay
Affiliation:
South Dakota State University, Department of Plant Science, Brookings, SD 57007
David E. Clay
Affiliation:
South Dakota State University, Department of Plant Science, Brookings, SD 57007
Eric M. Mousel
Affiliation:
South Dakota State University, Department of Natural Resources, Brookings, SD 57007
Alexander J. Smart
Affiliation:
South Dakota State University, Department of Natural Resources, Brookings, SD 57007
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: michelle.ohrtman@sdstate.edu
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Abstract

Controlled burns and grazing are being tested to manage invasive grasses in the Prairie Pothole region of the Northern Great Plains. These practices, however, may inadvertently promote saltcedar infestations from seed by opening the vegetative canopy. Saltcedar seedling establishment was investigated in greenhouse experiments using intact soil cores from one summit and three footslope sites in eastern South Dakota. Establishment tests were conducted in soil cores collected from treatment and control plots immediately after spring fire treatment (postburn) and in cores that contained peak cool- or peak warm-season vegetation, with or without clipping (simulated grazing treatment), to simulate vegetation conditions typical of saltcedar seed-shed in northern regions. Cores were seeded with 100 saltcedar seeds and subirrigated to maintain high soil water conditions, characteristic of the environment near potholes during late spring/early summer. Seedlings were counted during the first 3 wk to estimate establishment and the height of five seedlings core−1 were measured weekly to estimate growth rates. Opening the canopy with fire or clipping increased saltcedar establishment. Cores taken immediately after fire treatment had two times more seedlings establish (38% vs. 19%) and greater average seedling growth rate (1.5 mm d−1 vs. 0.9 mm d−1) when compared with no-fire controls. Fire after seeding reduced seedling establishment to 5%, but did not affect growth rate. Saltcedar establishment in peak cool-season vegetation cores was 6% regardless of earlier fire treatment, whereas in peak warm-season vegetation, establishment ranged from 8% (no spring fire) to 17% (spring fire). If soils remain wet, invasion risk following spring fire may be greatest when warm-season grasses are flowering because this time coincides with northern saltcedar seed production. Areas adjacent to viable saltcedar seed sources should be managed to maximize canopy cover when seeds are released to limit further establishment. Fire after saltcedar seed deposition may control propagules and young seedlings.

Keywords

saltcedar, Tamarix ramosissima Ledeb. TARA, Tamarix chinensis Lour. TACH, and Tamarix hybridsGrazingfirePrairie Pothole regionNorthern Great Plainsgrasslandcompetitionvegetation management
Type
Research Article
Information
Invasive Plant Science and Management , Volume 4 , Issue 4 , December 2011 , pp. 427 - 436
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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