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Evaluation of Plant Materials for Use in
Reclamation of Disturbed Rangelands in
Semi-Arid Areas of Northern Utah
Melissa V. Britton
Val Jo Anderson
R. D. Horrocks
Howard Horton
Abstract-Reclamation of degraded and disturbed rangelands in
the arid west continues to be both desirable and difficult. At their
best, reclamation practices and efforts often fail in their objectives
due to harsh environmental conditions that tend to be difficult to
predict. Development of species adapted to these harsh conditions
improve reclamation success rates. The objective of this study was
to test and select species that are adapted to two range site types in
northern Utah. Between 20 and 24 species were used in replicated
adaptability trials at two sites, sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)/grass
and greasewood (Sarcobatus uermiculatus), located immediately
southwest of Utah Lake in Northern Utah. Several species of both
native and introduced grasses were evaluated as adapted to these
sites, respectively. Alkar tall wheatgrass (Elymus elongatus) preformed well at the greasewood site, while crested wheatgrass
(Agropyron crisfatum) varieties established well at the sagebrush/
grass site. A larger group of species performed well at the greasewood site than at the sagebrush/grass site.
Reclamation and revegetation of arid and semiarid rangelands are difficult processes complicated by severe environmental conditions. Natural recruitment in areas of low
precipitation is limited to wetter years (Roundy and Call
1988; Allen 1995). Developme'nt of improved plant varieties
which are better adapted to dry areas can increase success
of rangeland revegetation (Asay and others 1985; Munda
and Smith 1995).
Two vegetation types found in arid and semiarid areas of
the Great Basin are sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)/grass and
greasewood (Sarcobatus uermiculatus). Sagebrush/grass
types have a long history of reclamation (Young and others
1979). Seeding strictly with native species met with little
success, and use of introduced species became necessary
(Young and others 1979). Crested wheatgrass (Agropyron
cristatum) was one of the first introduced species successfully tested and used in adaptability trials. Kellar (1979), in
a review of species selection and seeding methods for sagebrush/grass sites, stated that crested wheatgrass has been
the most important grass in revegetating these sites. Other
important sagebrush/grass species included intermediate
and pubescent wheatgrasses (Agropyron intermedium),
Siberian wheatgrass (Agropyron cristatum), Russian wildrye
(Elymus junceus), and dryland alfalfa (Medicago sativa)
(Kellar 1979).
Seedling establishment has proven difficult on greasewood sites, because of large amounts of salts in the soil
(Forsburg 1953; Rollins and others 1968; Malcolm 1969;
Sandoval and Gould 1978; Roundy and others 1983; USDA
1984; Roundy 1985). High concentration of salts can be toxic
to plants, causing nutritional imbalances (Rollins and others 1968; Maas 1986), and reduced matric and osmotic
potential of the soil (Sandoval and Gould 1978; Roundy
1985). In some greasewood sites the soils are sodic rather
than saline (high salts but no excess of sodium). Sodic soils
have a sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) greater than 13 and
usually have a basic pH (Sandoval and Gould 1978; Jurinak
1981). Excessive sodium creates dispersed clay colloids in
the soil which reduces infiltration of water into the soil
(Rollins and others 1968; Sandoval and Gould 1978). Tall
wheatgrass and basin wildrye (Elymus cinereus) varieties
are among the few species which have proven to be successful on greasewood sites (Forsburg 1953; Fleck 1967; Rollins
and others 1968; Malcolm 1969; McPhie 1973; Sandoval and
Gould 1978; Roundy and others 1983; Roundy 1985).
A sagebrush/grass site and a greasewood site in northern Utah were selected to test the adaptability of 20 and
24 plant species, respectively. The objectives of this study
were to 1) evaluate establishment of selected species on
the respective sites and 2) evaluate the longevity of green
tissue for the same species.
Study Site _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
In: Monsen, Stephen B.; Stevens, Richard, comps. 1999. Proceedings:
ecology and management of pinyon-juniper communities within the Interior
West; 1997 September 15-18; Provo, UT. Proc. RMRS-P-9. Ogden, UT: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research
Station.
Melissa V. Britton is a Graduate Student at Brigham Young University.
Val Jo Anderson is a Professor of range ecology at Brigham Young University,
Provo, UT 84602. R. D. Horrocks is a Professor of agronomy at Brigham Young
University, Provo, UT 84602. Howard Horton is a scientist with the USDA
'
ARS in Logan, UT 84322.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-9. 1999
The study area was located in northern Utah immediately
southwest of Utah Lake. This area receives an average of
250 to 300 mm of precipitation per year with the majority
coming as snow or winter rain. The mean annual air temperature varies between 7.2 and 11.1 DC, and the frost free
period is between 100 and 140 days. Soil types in the general
area range from silt clay loams to sandy loams with a slope
between 0 and 5 percent.
339
Table 1-Soil analysis for Sagebrush/grass and Greasewood sites.
Soil test
Sagebrush/grass
Nitrate-N itrogen
ppm N
Phosphorus
ppm P
Potassium
ppm K
Salinity-ECe
mmhos/cm
Calcium
ppm Ca
Magnesium
ppm Mg
Sodium
ppm Na
Sodium Adsorption
Ratio (SAR)
Greasewood
9.54
3.32
9.87
29.10
1,065.60
688.00
1.15
2.10
83.00
37.00
19.00
6.50
112.64
424.96
2.89
16.90
and juniper trees. Analysis of these soils indicated a soil pH
of 8.20, low levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, and high
potassium levels (table 1). There were no problems with
salinity or sodium on the site. Soil classification was
Linoyer series, coarse-silty, mixed (calcareous), mesic Xeric
Torrifluvents (USDA 1984).
The second site (greasewood), an alkali flat range site
(USDA 1993), was located 7 km north of Elberta, Utah and
2 km east of state highway 68. This site was dominated by
greasewood with a sparse understory of other annual forbs
and grasses. A soil analysis indicated a pH of 8.40 and low
levels of nitrogen, but high levels of phosphorus and potassium (table 1). There were no problems with salinity, but a
medium sodium hazard existed, with the site having a
SAR of 16.90 (Richards 1954). Soil classification was
Manassa series, fine-silty, mixed (calcareous), mesic Xeric
Torriorthents (USDA 1984).
Materials and Methods _ _ _ __
Two range sites were used to evaluate the adaptability of
several species. The first site (sagebrush/grass), a semidesert gravelly loam range site (USDA 1993), was located
1 km north of Elberta, Utah and 2 km west of state highway
68. This was an upland site with current vegetation dominated by annual weedy species and interspersed shrubs
At each range site the area was disked to remove the
existing vegetation. The species to be tested were then
seeded into a randomized four replicate complete block
experimental design with 24 and 20 species in the sagebrush/grass and greasewood sites, respectively (table 2).
Within each block, each species was planted in 10-row
sections which were 3 m wide by 9 m long. Plots were seeded
Table 2-Plant Materials used at study sites.
Common name
Oahe Intermediate Wheatgrass
Luna Pubescent Wheatgrass
Nordan Crested Wheatgrass
P27 Siberian Wheatgrass
Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass
Ephraim Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest I Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest II Crested Wheatgrass
Douglas Crested Wheatgrass
Broadleaf Crested Wheatgrass
Critana Thickspike Wheatgrass
Secar Snake river Wheatgrass
Bannock Thickspike Wheatgrass
Goldar Bluebunch Wheatgrass
NewHy Hybrid Wheatgrass
RSH Quackgrass Cross
Alkar Tall Wheatgrass
SL Hybrid Wheatgrass
Magnar Great Basin Wildrye
Trailhead Basin Wildrye
Bozoisky Russian Wild rye
Syn A Russian Wild rye
Shoshone Beardless Wild rye
Altai Wildrye
Regar Meadow Bromegrass
Paloma Indian Ricegrass
Spreador II Alfalfa
Alfagraze Alfalfa
Remont Sainfoin
340
Site planted
Scientific name
Agropyron intermedium
Agropyron intermedium
Agropyron crista tum
Agropyron fragile
Agropyron fragile
Agropyron crista tum
Agropyron crista tum X desertorum
Agropyron crista tum X desertorum
Agropyron crista tum
Agropyron crista tum
Elymus lanceolatus
Elymus lanceolatus
Elymus lanceolatus
Elymus spicatus
Elymus hoffmanni
Elymus hoffmanni
Elymus elongatus
Pseudoroegneria spicata X
Elymus lanceolatus
Elymus cinereus
Elymus cinereus
Elymus junceus
Psathyrostachys juncea
Elymus trticoides
Leymus angustus
Bromus riparius
Stipa hymenoides
Medicago sativa
Medicago sativa
Onobrychis viciifolia
Both
Sagebrush/grass
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Sagebrush/grass
Greasewood
Both
Sagebrush/grass
Sagebrush/grass
Sagebrush/grass
Sagebrush/grass
Both
Greasewood
Greasewood
Both
Both
Both
Both
Both
Greasewood
Greasewood
Sagebrush/grass
Sagebrush/grass
Both
Greasewood
Both
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-9. 1999
with a John Deere flex planter at seeding rates of approximately 11 kg per hectare. The sagebrush/grass site was
seeded in the fall of 1992, and the greasewood site was
seeded in the fall of 1993.
In June of 1995, each plant species was rated for row
uniformity and density on a scale from 1 to 10; 10 being the
highest rating. Uniformity was an evaluation of plant spacing along the length of the row. Density was an evaluation
of the relative number of plants per unit area. A stand
performance index (SPI) was then calculated by multiplying
the uniformity and density ratings.
The longevity of green foliage was also evaluated for each
species. The greenness of foliage was evaluated at 1 to 4
week intervals through the growing season, beginning May
19 and ending August 10. A rating of 70 percent indicated
that 70 percent of the foliage was green and 30 percent was
dry.
Standard analysis of variance methods were used to
compare species, and a protected LSD mean separation
technique was used to distinguish performance between
species (Ott 1988). A total of 29 plant species were seeded
between the two sites, with some species being seeded at
both sites (table 2).
Results _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
A wide range of density and uniformity ratings was
found among plant species. The two ratings were tightly
correlated for most species. The product of the density and
uniformity ratings for each species was calculated, and used
as a Stand Performance Index (SPI). Analysis of variance
showed significant differences for stand performance among
species (p :::; 0.01). Interaction between site and species was
also significant (p :::; 0.01). Plant species were ranked in
order from highest to lowest according to the Index for each
site (tables 3 and 4). Siberian and crested wheatgrasses
outperformed other species at the sagebrush/grass site. The
top five varieties were P-27 Siberian, Ephraim, Hycrest I,
Hycrest II, and Vavilov. These varieties scored significantly
higher SPIs than the rest of the species. On the greasewood
site, Alkar tall wheatgrass performed the best with a SPI
almost 8 points higher than the other species, but it was not
significantly higher than the other top 12 species (table 4).
Remont sainfoin (Onobrychis uiciifolia) was ranked the
lowest at both sites, being in the statistically lowest group
along with five other species at the sagebrush/grass site
(table 3), and being significantly lower than all other species
at the greasewood site. Significant interaction between site
and species occurred because plants such as NewHy and
RSH quackgrass cross were in the statistically highest
ranked group at the greasewood site, while being in the
statistically lowest ranked group at the sagebrush/grass
site. Overall, a larger group of plant species performed
better at the greasewood site than at the sagebrush/grass
site. Sixty-five percent of the species seeded at the greasewood site were in the statistically highest ranked group,
with only one species beingin the statistically lowest ranked
group. At the sagebrush/grass site only 21 percent of the
species were in the statistically highest ranked group, while
25 percent were in the statistically lowest ranked group.
Plant species at the two sites began to show statistical
differences (p < 0.05) in percent greenness by the middle of
July. By the last collection date, August 10, the differences
Table 3-Species establishment at the Sagebrush/grass site.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Species
P27 Siberian Wheatgrass
Ephraim Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest I Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest II Crested Wheatgrass
Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass
Syn A Russain Wildrye
Broadleaf Crested Wheatgrass
Bozoisky Russian Wildrye
Luna Pubescent Wheatgrass
Bannock Thickspike
Nordan
Paloma Indian Ricegrass
Critana Thickspike Wheatgrass
Trailhead Basin Wild rye
SL Hybrid Wheatgrass
Magnar Basin Wildrye
Oahe Intermediate Wheatgrass
Spreador II Alfalfa
Secar Snake river Wheatgrass
RSH Quackgrass Cross
NewHy
Goldar Bluebunch Wheatgrass
Regar Meadow Bromegrass
Remont Sainfoin
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-9. 1999
Density
Uniformity
Stand
performance index
9.03
8.59
8.53
8.26
8.33
7.97
7.87
7.47
7.30
7.17
7.20
6.77
7.03
5.97
6.63
6.10
6.03
5.50
3.97
3.47
3.50
3.00
1.97
0.83
9.00
9.17
9.20
9.36
9.03
8.63
8.33
8.17
7.97
8.03
7.50
7.63
7.00
7.97
6.83
7.10
6.83
5.93
4.47
4.00
3.77
3.57
3.17
0.93
81.3 a
78.9 a
78.5 ab
77.3 ab
75.2 abc
68.8 bcd
65.6 cde
61.0 def
58.2 efg
57.6 efgh
54.0 fghi
51.7 fghij
49.2 fghij
47.6 hij
45.3 ij
43.3j
41.2 j
32.6jk
17.8 kl
13.9 kl
13.2 kl
10.71
6.21
0.81
341
Table 4-Species Establishment at the Greasewood site.
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Species
Alkar Tall Wheatgrass
Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass
Bozoisky Russian Wildrye
Nordan Crested Wheatgrass
P27 Siberian Wheatgrass
Hycrest I Crested Wheatgrass
Syn A Russain Wild rye
NewHy
RSH Quackgrass Cross
Douglas Crested Wheatgrass
Trailhead Basin Wildrye
Broadleaf Crested Wheatgrass
Oahe Intermediate Wheatgrass
Critana Thickspike Wheatgrass
Shoshone Beardless Wheatgrass
Altai Wildrye
Spread~r II Alfalfa
Magnar Basin Wildrye
Alfagraze Alfalfa
Remont Sainfoin
were quite evident (tables 5 and 6). There was much greater
variation in greenness within species by August 10, making
it more difficult to distinguish between species statistically. At the sagebrush/grass site on August 10, both
varieties of Basin wildrye and Remont sainfoin had ratings
of 80 percent green tissue or above. Table 5 shows that the
first ten species stayed significantly greener longer than the
rest of the species at that site. At the greasewood site,
Remont Sainfoin received the highest rating on the last date,
with the first 12 species listed on table 6 also being significantly higher than the other species at the site on August 10.
By August 10, thirty-eight percent of the plants at the
sagebrush/grass site were significantly lower than the rest
of the spec;es at that site with Vavilov Siberian wheatgrass receiving the lowest ranking. At the greasewood site,
30 percent of the species were in the statistically lowest
ranked group, with Critana thickspike wheatgrass receiving the lowest rank on August 10.
Discussion ------------------------------Different plant species have adapted to different types of
environmental conditions, with some having a wide range of
adaptation, and others having a narrow range. These
adaptability trials indicated that the species evaluated represented a wide range of variation with respect to being
adapted to these sites. Some species had strong establishment, while others had the ability to remain green into late
summer. Some species did well in both areas, while others
proved to be mediocre or poor in both categories.
342
Density
Uniformity
9.53
8.83
8.73
9.03
8.67
8.27
8.57
8.50
8.67
8.27
8.23
8.13
7.83
8.03
7.03
6.47
6.33
6.00
5.63
1.30
9.97
9.83
9.93
9.53
9.83
10.00
9.27
9.20
8.93
9.30
9.17
9.27
9.23
7.77
7.63
6.87
7.00
6.80
5.83
1.30
Stand
performance index
95.0a
87.7 ab
86.7 ab
86.1 ab
85.2 ab
82.7 ab
79.4 abc
78.2 abc
77.4 abcd
76.9 abcd
75.5 abcd
75.4 abcd
72.3 abcde
62.4 bcde
53.6 cdef
44.5 f
44.3f
40.8 f
32.8 f
1.7 9
Table 5-Percent green tissue remaining for species at the
Sagebrush/grass site.
Percent
green tissue
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
Species
Magnar Basin Wildrye
Trailhead Basin Wildrye
Remont Sainfoin
RSH Quackgrass Cross
Spread~r II Alfalfa
NewHy
Goldar Bluebunch Wheatgrass
SL Hybrid Wheatgrass
Secar Snakeriver Wheatgrass
Paloma Indian Ricegrass
Critana Thickspike Wheatgrass
Regar Meadow Bromegrass
Broadleaf Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest II Crested Wheatgrass
Hycrest I Crested Wheatgrass
Bannock Thickspike
Oahe Intermediate Wheatgrass
Nordan Crested Wheatgrass
Luna Pubescent Wheatgrass
P27 Siberian Wheatgrass
Ephraim Crested Wheatgrass
Bozoisky Russian Wildrye
Syn A Russian Wild rye
Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass
July 19
August 10
89.0 abcd
85.7 cde
90.0 abc
88.3 abed
88.0 abcd
84.3 def
95.7 a
94.0 ab
90.0 abc
64.3 i
83.7 cde
81.3 efg
82.7 ef
87.3 bed
81.7 efg
89.3 abcd
83.0 cde
75.3 gh
70.7 hi
87.7 abcd
78.7 fgh
81.7 efg
87.0 bcd
82.0 efg
81.5 a
80.0 a
80.0 a
75.0 ab
73.3 ab
72.3 abc
66.7 abcd
63.3 abcde
59.0 abcdef
55.0 bcdefg
50.7 cdefgh
49.3 defghi
48.3 defghi
43.3 efghij
37.0 fghijk
34.0 ghijkl
33.3 ghijkl
30.3 hijkl
28.3 ijkl
26.7 jkl
21.7 jkl
18.7 kl
15.7 kl
14.0 I
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-9. 1999
Table 6-Pereent green tissue remaining for speeies at the
Greasewood site.
Percent
green tissue
Rank
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Species
Remont Sainfoin
Magnar Basin Wildrye
Alfagraze Alfalfa
Trailhead Basin Wildrye
NewHy
RSH Quaekgrass Cross
Alkar Tall Wheatgrass
Spreador II Alfalfa
Broadleaf Crested Wheatgrass
Altai Wildrye
Syn A Russian Wildrye
P27 Siberian Wheatgrass
Shoshone Beardless Wildrye
Nordan Crested Wheatgrass
Hyerest I Crested Wheatgrass
Vavilov Siberian Wheatgrass
Douglas Crested Wheatgrass
Bozoisky Russian Wild rye
Oahe Intermediate Wheatgrass
Critana Thickspike Wheatgrass
July 19
89.0 a
79.7 b
95.0 a
79.0 be
76.7 bed
73.7 bede
79.0 be
79.0 bc
71.3 defgh
70.7 bed
74.0 bede
72.7 edef
77.0 bed
67.7 efghi
60.7 ijk
55.3 k
58.3jk
65.7 fghi
65.3 ghij
62.3 ijk
August 10
75.0 a
73.3 a
70.0 ab
70.0 ab
67.7 ab
67.3 ab
67.3 ab
65.0 abe
63.3 abe
60.0 abe
56.7 abe
55.7 abe
51.7 be
46.7 ed
28.3 de
28.3 de
26.7 e
23.3 e
19.0 e
11.0 e
At the greasewood site, Alkar tall wheatgrass showed
good establishment, and also stayed green into August,
having 67.3 percent green tissue remaining on August 10.
It has been shown to stay green longer than other wheatgrasses (table 6; Asay 1995) which could be attributed to its
extremely deep root system (Asay 1995). It was in the
statistically highest ranked group for both stand performance and percent green tissue remaining. Tall wheatgrass
is one of the foremost species used for revegetation on
greasewood sites and is very important for reclamation
purposes in these areas (Forsburg 1953; Fleck 1967; Rollins
and others 1968; Malcolm 1969; McPhie 1973; Sandoval and
Gould 1978; Roundy and others 1983; Roundy 1985).
Crested wheatgrass varieties established well on both
study sites but did not remain green through the end of the
summer. The performance on these sites corresponded with
crested wheatgrass performance in other areas. Crested
wheatgrass has been found to provide excellent spring
forage, but quality declines rapidly (Welsh and others 1993;
Asay 1995). Although the crested wheatgrass varieties which
were used had low percent green tissue on the last collection
date, they still remained green longer than expected from
previous reports. This probably occurred because of the
especially cool and wet spring and summer in 1995. This
area received 229 mm of precipitation in May and 68 mm of
rain in June, which equaled the long-term mean annual
precipjtation. Although crested wheatgrass varieties are not
commonly planted for summer forage, its excellent establishment properties make it highly desirable for soil stabilization. For example, the first important use of crested
wheatgrass occurred on the Great Plains, saving large tracts
of soil during the dust bowl of the 1930's (Asay 1995).
Most of the wildrye varieties used in this study have
histories of poor seedling vigor and poor establishment
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-9. 1999
properties (Asay 1995). Bozoisky Russian wildrye and Syn A
Russian wildrye were both selected for improved establishment and seedling vigor (Asay 1992), and did outperform
the other wildryes receiving high scores on the Stand Performance Index (tables 3 and 4). Both basin wildryes had high
percentages of green tissue throughout the summer at both
sites (tables 5 and 6). At the sagebrush/grass site neither had
strong establishment (tables 3 and 4), while at the greasewood site, Trailhead basin wildrye performed well, receiving
an Index score of 75.5 and was in the statistically highest
ranked group. Trailhead basin wildrye has been found to
outproduce Magnar great basin wildrye under drought conditions (Asay 1995). Basin wildryes have proven to be important plant materials in revegetation of greasewood sites
(Roundy and others 1983; Roundy 1985).
Thickspike wheatgrass varieties performed average to
poor on both sites for stand performance. Critana thickspike,
SL hybrid, and Bannock thickspike were not in the highest
or lowest groups, but Secar snakeriver wheatgrass was in
the statistically lowest group at the sagebrush/grass site. At
the sagebrush/grass site, SL hybrid and Secar snakeriver
wheatgrass were in the statistically highest group for percent green tissue remaining on August 10. Critana was
average, and Bannock thickspike was in the statistically
lowest grou p. Secar snakeriver w heatgrass has shown excellent drought tolerance in the past (Asay 1995). SL hybrid
also has drought tolerance (Asay and others 1991).
Bluebunch wheatgrass performed very poorly at the sagebrush/grass site, being in the statistically lowest group for
stand performance. On the greasewood site NewHy and
RSH quackgrass cross were in the statistically highest
group. It is not surprising that these two varieties would act
similarly because they are both crosses between bluebunch
wheatgrass and quackgrass (Asay 1992). RSH is the naturally occurring form ofNew Hy. It is also not surprising that
they would do well on the greasewood site because they
have high salt tolerance. Bluebunch wheatgrass was in the
statistically highest group at both sites for percent green
tissue remaining on August 10. This supports other findings
that bluebunch wheatgrass is adapted to dry areas (Asay
1995).
Although Regar meadow bromegrass has shown rapid
seedling establishment in other areas (USDA 1994), it was
in the statistically lowest group for stand performance,
receiving an index score of 6.2 at the sagebrush/grass site
(table 3). It has also shown drought tolerance in other areas
(USDA 1994), but received a marginal rating of percent
green tissue remaining (table 5).
Paloma Indian rice grass performed marginally in stand
performance and percent green tissue remaining (tables 3
and 5). In other areas it has shown excellent stand establishment and relative drought tolerance (USDA 1994).
Although both varieties of alfalfa, Spreador II and
Alfagraze, did not receive high Stand Performance Index
scores, alfalfa would be a valuable plant to have in a species
mix. Mature alfalfa plants can recover from heavy grazing,
while seedlings have great difficulty recovering (Stevens
and Monsen 1998). Alfagraze alfalfa is adapted to areas
that are irrigated or have average annual precipitation
higher than at these sites (Monsen and Horrocks 1996,
personal communication), as such, it is not surprising that it
did not exhibit high performance under extreme conditions.
343
Alfagraze probably should not be used in seeding mixes in
these environments without irrigation. IfSpreador II seedlings can be protected for 2 or 3 years, surviving plants
should be long lived in the community (Stevens and Monsen
1998). The value of including a legume like alfalfa in a mix
is that it greens up early and stays green longer than many
grasses (Stevens and Monsen 1998).
Remont sainfoin is another plant which demonstrated
poor establishment, but ifit could be established, it would be
valuable for grazing purposes. It greens up early and stays
green long into the grazing season (Stevens and Monsen
1998). Remont Sainfoin remained green longer than almost
all of the species at both sites (tables 5 and 6).
The high establishment and growth rate for many species
on the greasewood site was unusual for such a site. Success
could be attributed to high amounts of precipitation in the
spring of 1995 (Roundy and others 1983; Roundy 1985).
Another possible explanation, is that the site is sodic and
not saline-sodic. Available water would not have been
restricted by low matric and osmotic potentials as is often
the case in saline soils (Rollins and others 1968; Sandoval
and Gould 1978; Roundy and others 1983; Roundy 1985).
Conclusions ------------------------------Reclamation projects can have many different objectives.
The desired objectives of the project determines what plant
species are used. If the objective is soil stabilization then
crested wheatgrass would be a good species to use. If the
objectives included lengthening the grazing season, then a
species like alfalfa, which remains green through the summer, would be a better choice. Plant species used also
depends on the site being reclaimed. For example, Trailhead
basin wildrye had an Index score of 47.6 at the sagebrush!
grass site while receiving a score of75.5 on the greasewood
site. Difference in soil type, water relations, and history of
use can impact the site and which species are adapted.
Although objectives for an area will help determine which
species should be planted, a mix of native and introduced
grasses along with some shrubs has been shown to improve
overall plant prod uction in arid and semi arid areas (Roundy
and Call 1988). Further studies could be performed to
determine which mix of species grow best together, and to
determine which species are preferred by grazing animals.
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