Effect of Cultural Practices on Seeded Plant Communities on Intensively Disturbed Soils

Abstract

A revegetation technique study was established in a disturbed sagebrush-juniper community in northwestern Colorado in the fall of 1976. The purpose of the study was to identify effective cultural practices for establishing diverse and productive plant communities on disturbed soils. A combination of 4 treatments was applied: (1) altering life form seeding ratios, (2) seeding mixtures, (3) fertilizer, and (4) irrigation. After 4 years there was no significant difference in aboveground biomass production and canopy cover between irrigated and nonirrigated treatments. Fertilization increased production of grasses and shrub growth but depressed forb growth somewhat. The aboveground production of native and introduced mixtures was similar following four growing seasons. In general, introduced grasses out-produced native grasses, introduced forbs produced more than native forbs, and native shrubs out- performed introduced shrubs. Altering ratios among life forms affected shrub biomass more than forb and grass production. The use of different seeding rates indicates that plant community composition will change and may be a function of not only seeding rates but also plant and environmental factors over time and space.