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DROUGHT RESISTANCE AND RESILIENCE OF INTRODUCED PASTURE VS. NATIVE PASTURE IN THE NORTHERN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE
Author
Kirwan, Wyatt
Smart, Alexander J.
Clay, David E.
Trooien, Todd
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2014
Body

Drought can have major impacts on rangeland productivity and remains highly unpredictable.  The objective of this study was to determine the drought resistance and resilience of introduced cool-season pasture vs. native tallgrass pasture.  Two sites near Brookings, SD were used for the study: an introduced cool-season grass site dominated by Bromus inermis and Poa pratensis and a native site with cool- and warm-season grasses, and some forbs.  Three automated rainout shelters at each site simulated drought conditions by intercepting rainfall.  In 2013, 2 replicates of supplemental watering treatments were applied under each shelter at 50, 75, 100, and 125% of average growing season precipitation to 1-m2 plots. Outside the shelters, optimal and ambient precipitation treatments were applied to 1-m2 plots.  In 2014, the same treatments will be conducted to determine drought resistance, however half of the 50, 75, and 125% plots will return to 100% or average precipitation to study drought resilience.  Water was applied on a weekly schedule based on the 30-year average precipitation after being subtracted from the rainfall not excluded by the shelters.  After the first hard frost, biomass will be clipped by species, dried at 60°C, weighed, and combined into functional groups. Statistical Analysis will include two-way ANOVAs and mean separations to determine significant differences between treatments and sites.  First year data will be available at the end of the 2013-growing season.  This study will provide information to land managers and producers about the biomass production of introduced cool-season pastures vs. native prairie during drought and after drought.  We expect that native prairie will be more resistant to drought than introduced cool-season pasture, but may not be more resilient when normal or above-normal precipitation returns.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Orlando, FL
Collection
SRM Annual Meeting Abstracts