The influence of sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia) on the biomass of several components of needleandthread (Stipa comata) was studied on grazed and ungrazed sites in eastern Colorado. The components examined were seeds, stems-leaves combined, crowns, and total plant biomass. A significant grazing × association interaction was observed in terms of seed biomass and stem-leaf combined biomass. Sagebrush afforded protection for needleandthread from grazing, which outweighed the effects of interference on grazed sites. In contrast, on the ungrazed site needleandthread biomass was greater in the open than underneath the sage. These results imply that a comparison of yield in pure and mixed stands on grazed sites are not valid for measuring interference effects between shrubs and grasses. The advantage of measuring several plant components in competition studies was also discussed. This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. The Journal of Range Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact lbry-journals@email.arizona.edu for further information. Migrated from OJS platform August 2020
Scholarly peer-reviewed articles published by the Society for Range Management. Access articles on a rolling-window basis from vol. 1, 1948 up to 5 years from the current year. Formerly Journal of Range Management (JRM). More recent content is available by subscription from SRM.