(Press-News.org) WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 9 May, 2023 – Buffelgrass is a highly invasive perennial found in arid regions around the globe. It is known to reduce the biodiversity of native ecosystems and to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
A team of researchers recently took a close look at efforts to control buffelgrass in Arizona’s Saguaro National Park, located in the Sonoran Desert. An article featured in volume 16, issue 1 of the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management describes what that investigation can tell us about effective control strategies. After examining data from 2011 to 2020, the team found:
Chemical treatments with glyphosate had greater or equal effectiveness as compared to mechanical removal methods
Early detection and treatment of new areas of buffelgrass invasion can increase treatment effectiveness.
Treatments are likely to be more effective if spaced at an interval of less than three years.
Steep slopes with south-facing aspects may need more frequent treatment since that environment favors buffelgrass growth.
If longer treatment gaps are necessary due to a lack of resources, treatments in areas with less favorable environmental conditions for buffelgrass (e.g., north-facing aspect, low topographic slope) can be cautiously discontinued on a temporary basis.
“Most important of all are long-term monitoring and surveillance,” says Yue M. Li, conservation research scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona. “Low levels of buffelgrass can quickly expand by multiple orders of magnitude.”
To learn more, visit the article “Effectiveness of a decade of treatments to reduce invasive buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare)” – available at https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2023.2.
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Study highlights best practices in buffelgrass control
2023-05-12
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