- Author: Guy B Kyser
Elise Gornish, Josh Davy, Travis Bean, and I are testing the use of sheep for management of late-season invasive annual grasses. This trial is taking place at five sites at the Hopland Research and Extension Center – two with barb goatgrass, two with medusahead, and one mixed.
Treatments include grazing at boot stage (32 sheep-days on 324 m2), revegetation with native spp vs forage spp, and treatment with low or high rates of glyphosate at tillering, boot stage, and heading. The main plots are 18 m x 36 m including an 18 x 18 grazing enclosure and are replicated three times at each site. All treatments are crossed, for a total of 48 subplots in each main plot.
Grazing was conducted from mid-April to...
- Author: Guy B Kyser
There is already a wall on our southern border, apparently, made of arundo (giant cane). This NY Times feature discusses US - Mexico cooperation in tackling the giant grass. Great pictures, too.
Arundo is also a big deal in California. Locally, it is one of the target species in the Delta Regional Areawide Aquatic Weed Project.
- Author: Guy B Kyser
Saw a nice article about a gall fly soon to be released for control of Cape ivy. Our old friend Baldo from CDFA started work on this in 2001, so it's been a while coming. Cape ivy is our version of kudzu, at least along the coast.
- Author: Joseph DiTomaso
Croftonweed (also called thoroughwort) goes by the scientific name Ageratina adenophora or Eupatorium adenophorum. It is native to Mexico and has been introduced to a number of areas around the world. In China, it is the most important invasive plant of tropical forests in the Yunnan area, where it was introduced in the middle of the 19th century. Not only does it cause significant ecological and agricultural damage, but it is considered highly poisonous to cattle and horses, causing chronic lung toxicity. In addition to China, it is an important invasive plant in Hawaii, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and many other areas of Asia. The plant is a perennial herb or subshrub that grows from 3 to...
- Author: David Low
- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
From the WeedsNews4873 | May 20, 2014 | 8:28 pm
Abstract: Non-native plant distribution and community composition, along with an array of environmental factors, were examined in 31 hedgerows, an archetypal class of conservation linkage, in the northern part of California's Central Valley. Row crop, orchard, and vineyard agriculture dominate this area, and hedgerows have been popular...