Increasing sophistication in application techniques, herbicide chemistry, and related technology in conjunction with intensified public awareness of herbicide use on rangeland has provided the impetus for research on the fate of herbicides in the range ecosystem. The complexity of the range ecosystem in comparison to monocultural systems dictates that persons versed in range ecology and herbicide technology conduct necessary research and play a dominant role in interpretation of results. The role of the atmosphere, ecosystem surfaces, vegetation, soil, and water in herbicide transfer and dissipation from the range ecosystem are reviewed. Properly applied, herbicides applicable to range improvement programs provide excellent levels of weed and brush control without undue hazard to sensitive crops; do not endanger man, his livestock or wildlife; and, in most cases, are dissipated from the ecosystem during the growing season in which they are applied.

Forest management companies in Florida currently fertilize approximately 10,000+ hectares of pine plantation annually. This paper reports excellent yields of bluestems with reduction in pineland threeawn 5 years after fertilization and establishment of slash pine on an Olustee-Mascottee-Leefield soil complex. Neither total understory live biomass nor total grass production was changed by fertilization. As much as a 250% increase in bluestem forage, preferred by cattle, was produced with several fertilizer combinations. In addition, understory plant responses in relation to the fertilized tree row indicate significant movement of fertilizers to adjacent unfertilized areas. Pineland threeawn, generally undesirable for cattle forage, was reduced with fertilization. The overall increase in bluestem forage resulting from plantation establishment and fertilization for increased tree yields is a complementary benefit valuable to forest landowners and cattle producers.

The foods of wild horses, cattle, and mule deer were determined from 10 widely separated areas in the Douglas Mountain Area, northwest of Craig, Colo. The major foods of wild horses and cattle were needlegrasses, wheatgrasses, and brome; those of mule deer were sagebrush and mountainmahogany. The dietary overlap for wild horses and deer was 1%, cattle and deer 4%, and wild horses and cattle was 77%. Wild horses and cattle selected foods in a significantly similar order.

The present study was done to determine the effects of Artemisia substances, both water-soluble and aromatic, on the germination of selected grassland species. Aqueous extracts of Artemisia tridentata litter inhibited germination of such species as Agropyron smithii, Euphorbia podperae, Hedeoma hispida, Parietaria pennsylvanica, and Thlaspi arvense. Aqueous extracts of A. tridentata and A. cana leaves inhibited germination of Achillea millefolium, Artemisia cana, A. tridentata, Bromus inermis, Chrysothamnus nauseosus, and Thlaspi arvense. Germination of these same six species was inhibited by volatile substances from leaves of A. tridentata and A. cana. Aqueous extracts of leaves of Artemisia tridentata, A. cana, A. absinthium, A. frigida, and A. dracunculus all inhibited germination of Haplopappus spinulosus and Thlaspi arvense. Germination of Echinacea pallida was inhibited by leaf extracts of all the Artemisias tested except A. dracunculus. Germination of Plantago patagonica was inhibited by leaf extracts of only A. tridentata and A. dracunculus. Germination of Stipa viridula and S. comata was stimulated by leaf extracts of A. frigida and A. dracunculus. Aqueous leaf extracts of A. absinthium strongly inhibited germination of Stipa comata, but stimulated germination of Stipa viridula. Germination of certain species, such as Lepidium virginicum, Rumex crispus, and R. occidentalis, were not at all inhibited by leaf extracts of any Artemisias tested. Results of this experiment suggest possible influences of Artemisia chemicals on species distributional patterns in Artemisia-dominated vegetation, though further studies are required to verify whether the influences are valid under field conditions.

pIn vivo digestibility percentages from mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) digestion-balance trials were usually higher than in vitro determinations obtained from the same experimental forage species. Linear regression analysis suggested a correction factor could be applied to in vitro estimates to make them more nearly correspond to in vivo dry matter digestibility values. Forages with in vitro digestibility values below 35% often varied markedly from in vivo estimates. It raises the question whether deer consume species lower than this in digestibility given reasonable choice.

Samples of Lehmann lovegrass seeds were treated with various presowing seed treatments, oven drying, mechanical scarification, moistening, and moistening plus oven drying. The pretreated seeds were then allowed to germinate with adequate moisture at 24 degrees C for 24 and 48 hours. Germination was significantly increased by mechanical scarification, oven drying, moistening plus oven drying, and certain moistening treatments of warm-vapor or cold-water imbibition.

A study was conducted to determine the perenniality and development of shoots of two sedges, four grass species of temperate origin, and six grass species of tropical origin. Floral shoots of sedges were at least 3 years old and had remained vegetative the first 2 years. Floral shoots of temperate-origin grasses varied between 2 and 3 years old, and those of tropical-origin, between 1 and 2 years old. By knowing the perenniality of floral shoots, it may be possible to develop management practices to change the ratio of floral to vegetative shoots.

A compass and a measuring tape can be used to locate random points in an area of any practical size by employing a pocket calculator to convert rectangular grid coordinates to polar coordinates.