ABSTRACT:
In 1975, 1976, and 1977 plantings of cool-season grasses and legumes and warm-season grasses were made on inactive sand and gravel mines in the northeastern United States. The objective was to identify species that would effectively vegetate extremely droughty and usually infertile sites. The cool-season grasses failed completely at most locations. Of the legumes, birdsfoot and narrowleaf trefoil, crownvetch, and flatpea have persisted in stands with soils having at least 15 % fines. After 8 years of observations, selected warn-season grasses have established and persisted on sites with fines below 15 %. Where long-term, low-maintenance cover is desired, switchgrass, big bluestem, and little bluestem am the best species identified to date.
Footnotes
F, B. Gaffney is conservation agronomist for New York and J. A. Dickerson is plant materials specialist for New York, Vermont, New Harnpshire, and Maine, with the Soil Conservation Service, US. Department of Agriculture, Federal Building, Room 771, Syracuse, New York 13260.
- Copyright 1987 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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