ABSTRACT:
Ten grasses and seven forbs were seeded into mixed soil-lignite overburden in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas and monitored for establishment and growth over a 3-year period without fertilization. Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), green sprangletop (Leptochloa dubia), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), and kleingrass (P. coloratum) developed monotypic stands with sufficrent density, aerial covet, and aboveground biomass to stabilize the mixed soil-lignite overburden surface by the end of the first growing season. Plant mortality eliminated buffelgrass and green sprangletop stands by the end of the third growing wason. Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans) developed a satisfactory stand by the end of the third growing season, while Oldworld bluestem (Bothriochloa × Dicanthium), yellow bluestem (Bothriochloa ischaemum), and sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) established at a slower rate. Cover and biomass measurements from an adjacent, unfertilized stand of Coastal bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) were compared with those of seeded grasses throughout the study. Partidge pea (Cassia fasciculata) established rapidly and had the greatest cover and biomass of all seeded forbs by the end of the first growing season. Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), Illinois bundleflower (Desmanthus illi-noensis), and western indigo (Indigofera miniata) developed adequate stands for surface stabilization by the end of the third growing season, while falseanil indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa), virgata lespedeza (Lespedeza virgata), and awnless bushsunflower (Simsia calva) showed slower establishment.
Footnotes
J. G. Skousen is an assistant professor, Division of Plant and Soil sciences, West Virginia University. Morgantown, 26506 and C. A. Call is an assistant professor. Department of Range Science, Utah State University, Logan, 84322. At the time of this research, the authors were graduate research assistant and assistant professor, respectively. Department of Range Science, Texas A&M University. College Station, 77843. The authors acknowledge the support of the Texas Utilities Generating Company, Dallas, Texas, and the Soil Conservation Service Plant Materials Center, Knox City, Texas. for providing most the plant materials. Published with the approval of the Director of the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station at TA-2164.5.
- Copyright 1987 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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