Rootplowing, Front-end Stacking, and Seeding Effects on Herbaceous Plant Species Composition

Abstract

Effects on herbaceous plant species composition of two mechanical brush manipulation treatments (rootplowing and front-end stacking) with and without grass seeding were investigated in the Rio Grande Plain of Texas. Clearing of brushy rangeland by either rootplowing or front-end stacking increased native grass and forb diversity. During the first year after treatment, forbs accounted for about 70% of plant species composition based on density, but by the third and fifth year, they decreased to 25%. Plots seeded to native or introduced grasses established good stands, and by the second year, desirable forage had increased. Buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), an introduced seeded species, was the most aggressive species. Five years after mechanical brush manipulation, this species accounted for a major portion of the plant composition in both seeded and nonseeded treatments.