Buffelgrass blight was first reported attacking grass plants in the Gulf of Mexico region but recently proper humidity conditions in some areas has caused problems on buffelgrass pastures on the Pacific Area. The study was conducted in Rancho el Aguila located in Santa Ana, Sonora, Mexico. The objective was to determine leaf blight effect on common buffelgrass forage and seed production. A three year old buffelgrass pasture with previous blight damage reported was selected. Fifty plants with and without apparent blight damage were selected for study. Percent leaf damage, plant height, total undamaged forage and seed production were measured during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Individual plants were considered as replicates and arranged in a completely randomized design. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Precipitation was average during 2012 (312 mm) and 25% below average during 2013. Results show that 14% of the sampled plants showed light damage (less than 25% of foliage damaged), 47% moderate (25 to 50% of damaged foliage) and 39% intense blight damage (more than 50% of damaged foliage). Blight damaged plants were 25 to 29 cm shorter (P<0.05) as compared to unaffected plants during both years of evaluation. Leaf blight caused severe damage to plants and reduced forage production by 42.3%. Annual forage production averaged 516.0 grams D.M./plant on blight damaged plants and 895 grams D.M./plant on undamaged individuals. Total seed production was reduced by 28.9% on leaf blight affected plants and averaged 4.786 and 6.732 grams/plant on damaged and undamaged buffelgrass plants, respectively. Leaf blight damages common buffelgrass plants and significantly reduces forage and seed production on buffelgrass pastures during normal summers and may represent a severe threat during moist years where climatic conditions are more suitable for the pathogen to develop.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.