Get reliable science

Smooth brome (Bromus inermis) is an invasive, perennial, cool-season grass that is outcompeting native grasses of the northern Great Plains of the United States, decreasing diversity, degrading habitats, and lowering nutrient value for grazing animals at later growing season. Management of smooth brome is a key to improve degraded native dominated grasslands. However, current practices have been met with minimal and/or short term success due to its fast-growing aboveground shoots and extensive rhizome structure. Even though vegetative reproduction via the belowground bud bank is the primary means for its local spread and persistence, the effect of management on its bud bank dynamics has not been evaluated until recently. Previous study indicated the mowing treatments at the boot stage over one growing season significantly reduced the total number of buds and percentage of dormant buds compared to control. However, these differences were not observed in the following year without treatment. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of simulated grazing (mowing) on smooth brome belowground bud bank over the course of the two consecutive growing seasons. The experiment was a Randomized Complete Block Design with 4 mowing treatments and 4 replications. Prior to each treatment, stem density was recorded within two 0.1 m2 quadrats. Three tillers were randomly selected from each treatment plot and excavated to determine the number of crown positions, total number of axiliary buds, bud viability, and outgrowth tiller to bud ratio. Bud production, bud viability, bud density and tiller to bud ratio will be compared among frequency of mowing treatments within and between growing seasons.