- Author: Travis M Bean
New research published in PNAS (Fusco et al 2019) highlights the role of invasive grasses in creating new wildfire regimes at not just local but regional scales. Weed scientists are familiar with the concept of the grass-fire cycle (D'Antonio and Vitousek 1992): exotic grass invasions promote hotter or more frequent fires, which in turn facilitates more extensive grass invasion, causing more fires, etc. Perhaps now is the right time to better educate non-scientists about this critical concept as wildfires take up more of the public's...
- Author: Carl E. Bell
- Posted by: Gale Perez
Plant growth and development and herbicide efficacy, part 1
In the 1920's and 30's field bindweed (Convovulus arvensis) was a major weed in the western US; so much so that coordinated research was undertaken by the most prestigious Agricultural Universities from California to Oklahoma to figure out what to do. And this was before the advent of herbicides, so scientists and farmers had to rely on other methods, especially cultivation. After much work, it was discovered that the pernicious bindweed could be eradicated from a field by regular cultivation for just two seasons. They used duck-foot cultivators; a collection of several flat triangular blades that overlapped and ran horizontally about 2-4 inches below the...
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