- Author: Thomas Getts
I wanted to share some initial results from some medusahead trials I implemented this past year. Most of you are probably familiar with the invasive winter annual grass medusahead. If you follow this blog there have been numerous medusahead postings over the past years.
Now before I get going I wanted to point out this wonderful resource, The Medusahead Management Guide! It was published by the Weed Research Information Center in 2014, authored by Guy Kyser, Joseph DiTomaso, Kirk Davies, Josh Davy and Brenda Smith. There is a plethora of good information in this management guide and I encourage you to take a gander at it!
Link:
- Author: Elise S Gornish
One of the most devastating characteristics of invasive plants is their ability to enhance further invasion by con- and heterospecifics, as well as to limit native recolonization into previously invaded areas. Invasives can accomplish this through a variety of ways that include the modification of nutrient cycling dynamics, a change of water availability, the attraction of novel herbivores, and an increase in soil acidity. One of the most common ways that invasives enhance further invasion is through the modification of the soil microbiome (the bacterial and fungal community). This has direct relevance for management because if an invasive plant is cultivating a soil microbiome that facilitates future invasion and restricts native...
- Author: Elise S Gornish
Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae) is an invasive annual winter grass that currently infests 17 western US states, causing massive economic and environmental damage. One of the biggest challenges associated with Medusahead control is providing access of the latest relevant research describing field trial outcomes to stakeholders such as land managers and practitioners who typically do not utilize peer-reviewed literature. To address this need, several members of UC Cooperative Extension (Elise Gornish, Restoration Specialist; Theresa Bechetti, Farm Advisor; and Josh Davy, Livestock Advisor) developed a presentation (Power Point slides + notes) that anyone can use to teach clientele about the history and current...
- Author: Elise S Gornish
Many researchers have attempted to identify the magic combination of elements needed to control the cover and spread of Medusahead (Taeniatherum caput-medusae), an invasive winter annual grass. Individually, these attempts have yielded a variety of outcomes that sometimes suggest opposing strategies for effective weed control. Recently, researchers at UC Cooperative Extension and UC Davis attempted to leverage the collective value of these disparate investigations. They conducted a systematic review in order to understand if any broad conclusions could be drawn to highlight effective techniques for weed management. The authors found that short-term control of Medusahead can be achieved by using most combinations of burning,...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
- Re-posted by: Gale Perez
From the UC Green Blog :: June 5, 2014 :: by Jeannette Warnert
One of the worst rangeland weeds in the West is aptly named after a monster in Greek mythology that has writhing snakes instead of hair.
Medusahead, an unwelcome transplant from Europe, is anathema to the cattle living off rangeland grass. The weed's three-inch-long bristles poke and sometimes injure the animals' mouths and eyes. The weed is also low-quality forage for livestock. When medusahead takes over rangeland, it reduces the forage value by 80...