Rootplowing and seeding arid rangelands in the Southwest

TitleRootplowing and seeding arid rangelands in the Southwest
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication1973
AuthorsHerbel C.H., Abernathy G.H., Yarbrough C.C., Gardner D.K
JournalJournal of Range Management
Volume26
Pagination193-197
Date PublishedMay 1, 1973
Keywordsarid rangelands, rootplowing, seeding
AbstractTwenty-three seedings were made across southern New Mexico following root plowing of creosotebush or tarbush. Because of the harsh environment, equipment was used that in a single operation killed the brush, formed basin pits, planted the seed on a firm seedbed and windrowed the dead brush over the seeded area. Good to excellent stands were obtained on ten plots; four had fair stands. Many of the failures were related to highly erosive or droughty sites or to soils that form a hard surface crust. Even under droughty conditions, there generally was a good stand of the seeded species where brush cover coincided with a low place where water was concentrated. The species most easily established on the sandy to loamy sites infested with creosotebush were Lehmann and Boer lovegrass, black and sideoats grama, yellow bluestem, blue panic, and fourwing saltbush. On heavier soils, the best species were sideoats grama, yellow bluestem, and alkali street-ton. The exact seed mixture for any site depends on management objectives.
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