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Effects of prescribed fire timing on grazing performance of yearling beef cattle, forage biomass accumulation, and plant community characteristics on native tallgrass prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills.

ABSTRACT: Recent research demonstrated that mid- or late-summer prescribed fires can be employed to manage sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) infestations in the Kansas Flint Hills. The effects of prescribed fire applied during the growing season (i.e., August to October) on grazing performance of yearling cattle have not been evaluated. Native pastures (n = 18; 22 ± 4.0 ha) were grouped by watershed and assigned randomly to one of three prescribed-fire treatments: spring (7 April ± 2.1 d), summer (21 August ± 5.7 d), or autumn (2 October ± 9.9 d). Yearling beef cattle were grazed from May to August at a targeted stocking density of 280 kg live-weight/ha following prescribed-fire application. Forage biomass accumulations, soil cover, plant species composition, and root carbohydrate concentrations in four native plant species were evaluated. Total body weight (BW) gains and average daily gain were greater (P = 0.01) for cattle that grazed the spring and summer prescribed-fire treatments compared with those that grazed the autumn prescribed-fire treatment. As a result, final BW were greater (P = 0.04) in the spring and summer treatments than the autumn treatment. Conversely, forage biomass accumulations did not differ (P = 0.91) between fire regimes. Proportions of bare soil were greater (P < 0.01) in the spring treatment compared with the summer and autumn treatments, whereas proportions of litter on the soil surface were greater (P < 0.01) in summer- and autumn-burned pastures compared with spring-burned pastures. Total basal cover of graminoids and forbs did not differ (P ≤ 0.15) between prescribed fire treatments. Likewise, total basal cover of C3 or C4 perennial grasses did not differ (P ≥ 0.23) between prescribed-fire treatments. No treatment differences (P = 0.24) in root starch or root water-soluble carbohydrate concentrations in big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), or purple prairieclover (Dalea purpurea) were detected. These data were interpreted to suggest that summer or autumn prescribed fire can be applied without reducing forage biomass accumulations, root carbohydrate concentrations in key native plant species, or considerably altering native plant populations compared with conventional spring-season prescribed fire; however, summer prescribed fire could be favored over spring or autumn prescribed fire both to maintain stocker cattle growth performance and to achieve control over sericea lespedeza.

SUBMITTER: Duncan ZM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8494120 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:The predominant grazing-management practice of the Kansas Flint Hills involves annual prescribed burning in March or April with postfire grazing by yearling beef cattle at a high stocking density from April to August. There has been a dramatic increase in sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata [Dumont] G. Don) coincident with this temporally focused use of prescribed fire in the Flint Hills region. The species is an aggressive invader and a statewide noxious weed in Kansas. Control has generally been attempted using repeated herbicide applications. This approach has not limited proliferation of sericea lespedeza and resulted in collateral damage to nontarget flora and fauna. Alternative timing of prescribed fire has not been evaluated for its control. Our objectives for this 4-yr experiment were to (1) document the effects of prescribed burning during early April, early August, or early September on vigor of sericea lespedeza, standing forage biomass, and basal cover of native graminoids, forbs, and shrubs and (2) measure responses to fire regimes by grassland bird and butterfly communities. Whole-plant dry mass, basal cover, and seed production of sericea lespedeza were markedly less (P < 0.01) in areas treated with prescribed fire in August or September compared with April. Forage biomass did not differ (P ≥ 0.43) among treatments when measured during July; moreover, frequencies of bare soil, litter, and total basal plant cover were not different (P ≥ 0.29) among treatments. Combined basal covers of C4 grasses, C3 grasses, annual grasses, forbs, and shrubs also did not differ (P ≥ 0.11) between treatments. Densities of grasshopper sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), dickcissel (Spiza americana), and eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna) were not negatively affected (P > 0.10) by midsummer or late-summer fires relative to early-spring fires. There were no differences (P > 0.10) in densities of grassland-specialist butterfly species across fire regimes. Under the conditions of our experiment, prescribed burning during summer produced no detrimental effects on forage production, desirable nontarget plant species, grassland birds, or butterfly communities but had strong suppressive effects on sericea lespedeza. Additional research is warranted to investigate how to best incorporate late-summer prescribed fire into common grazing-management practices in the Kansas Flint Hills.

Project description:Over the past decade, functional traits that influence plant performance and thus, population, community, and ecosystem biology have garnered increasing attention. Generally lacking, however, has been consideration of how ubiquitous arbuscular mycorrhizas influence plant allometric and stoichiometric functional traits. We assessed how plant dependence on and responsiveness to mycorrhizas influence plant functional traits of a warm-season, C4 grass, Andropogon gerardii Vitman, and the contrasting, cool-season, C3 grass, Elymus canadensis L. We grew both host species with and without inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi, across a broad gradient of soil phosphorus availabilities. Both host species were facultatively mycotrophic, able to grow without mycorrhizas at high soil phosphorus availability. A. gerardii was most dependent upon mycorrhizas and E. canadensis was weakly dependent, but highly responsive to mycorrhizas. The high dependence of A. gerardii on mycorrhizas resulted in higher tissue P and N concentrations of inoculated than noninoculated plants. When not inoculated, E. canadensis was able to take up both P and N in similar amounts to inoculated plants because of its weak dependence on mycorrhizas for nutrient uptake and its pronounced ability to change root-to-shoot ratios. Unlike other highly dependent species, A. gerardii had a high root-to-shoot ratio and was able to suppress colonization by mycorrhizal fungi at high soil fertilities. E. canadensis, however, was unable to suppress colonization and had a lower root-to shoot ratio than A. gerardii. The mycorrhiza-related functional traits of both host species likely influence their performance in nature: both species attained the maximum responsiveness from mycorrhizas at soil phosphorus availabilities similar to those of tallgrass prairies. Dependence upon mycorrhizas affects performance in the absence of mycorrhizas. Responsiveness to mycorrhizal fungi is also a function of the environment and can be influenced by both mycorrhizal fungus species and soil fertility.

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Effects of prescribed fire timing on grazing performance of yearling beef cattle, forage biomass accumulation, and plant community characteristics on native tallgrass prairie in the Kansas Flint Hills.

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