As demographics of land ownership change, former agricultural lands often become pasture invaded by mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) or prickly pear (Opuntia spp.). Whether managed for agricultural or conservation purposes, there is a need to better understand the ecology of these lands. Our objective was to describe soil and vegetation characteristics in a series of studies evaluating rangeland management practices in southwest Texas. At two locations, we collected soil organic carbon (OC), organic matter (OM), plant frequency, dry weight rank, and herbaceous above ground standing crop from six ~2 ha plots within older (basal diameter 28.1 � 4.3 cm) or younger (basal diameter 12.3 � 2.1 cm) mesquite sites. Differences in soil and vegetation were determined by analysis of variance. At location 1, dominant plant species were P. glandulosa, Nassella leucotricha, and Opuntia spp. in the older, and N. leucotricha, Bothriochloa ischaemum, and Opuntia spp. in the younger mesquite plots respectively. Dry matter standing crop was 1,600.0 � 176.9 kgs/ha in the older, and 3,533.7 � 467.4 kgs/ha in the younger mesquite sites (P < 0.01). Soil OC (P = 0.06) was 1.62 � 0.08%, and 1.42 � 0.07% in the older versus younger mesquite sites respectively. Soil OM values (P = 0.06) were 2.79 � 0.15% and 2.43 � 0.12%. At location 2, dominant plant species were N. leucotricha, P. glandulosa,� and Opuntia spp. in both mesquite sites; dry matter standing crop (P > 0.1) was 1189.6 � 119.8 kgs/ha (older) and 1067.1 � 122.9 kgs/ha (younger). Soil OC (P < 0.01) was 4.49 � 0.29% versus 2.34 � 0.05% and soil OM (P < 0.01) was 7.74 � 0.49% versus 4.04 � 0.09% in older versus younger mesquite sites respectively. Range managers will need to consider site history, current characteristics, and objectives in management decisions on former agricultural lands.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.