Discing and Seeding Effects on Sod Bound Mixed Prairie

Abstract

A silty range site (720 mm average annual precipitation) in the Mixed Prairie of south-central Nebraska dominated by Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.), blue grama [Bouteloua gracilis (H.B.K.) Lag.], western wheatgrass (Agropyron smithii Rydb.), and buffalograss [Buchole dactyloides (Nutt.) Englem.] was protected from grazing, disced, seeded and/or treated with glyphosate to increase tall and midgrasses. Discing did not stimulate western wheatgrass yield or cover. After 2 growing seasons, yields and cover were similar on untreated and disced areas. However, species composition data indicated a treatment × year interaction between the second and third growing season for proportion of warm-season shortgrass sod to dominant cool-season vegetation. Warm-season shortgrasses increased on the disced area and decreased on the control during that period. Lo-till sod-seeding using glyphosate [N-(phosphonomethyl glycine)] as a sod suppressant provided rapid establishment of desirable warm-season grasses: big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash], switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and sideoats grama [Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torr.]. Seeding with a rangeland drill into a disced area or an area disced and then sprayed with glyphosate resulted in slower stand establishment compared to sod seeding. All seeding treatments had similar stand frequency during the third growing season and similar yield at the end of the fourth growing season. All seeding methods provided adequate stands.