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The Effects of Increasing Grazing Height on Establishment ofPasture Weeds in Management-Intensive Rotationally GrazedPastures

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Mark J. Renz  and
Marie L. Schmidt
Mark J. Renz*
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison WI 53706
Marie L. Schmidt
Affiliation:
Agronomy Department, University of Wisconsin Madison, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison WI 53706
*
Corresponding author's E-mail: mrenz@wisc.edu
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Abstract

Weeds can infest management-intensive grazed pastures and impact foragequantity, forage quality, and animal health. Common burdock, plumelessthistle, and Canada thistle are three common pasture weeds in the midwesternUnited States that are managed to avoid these impacts. Experiments wereestablished at two sites to determine if increasing grazing heights fromfall through summer would reduce emergence and survival of burdock,plumeless thistle, and Canada thistle seedlings. Five simulated grazingheights (5, 10, 15, and 20 cm and a not-clipped treatment) were implementedin October 2008 and repeated in May through August. Density of all specieswas reduced from May to September, with reductions ranging from 65 to 78%,regardless of treatment. Treatments that left at least 15 cm of residualgrass had reduced densities of burdock and Canada thistle compared to the10-cm treatment. Regression analysis demonstrated that reduction in burdockand summed planted weed density was related to increased interceptedphotosynthetically active radiation from forage in April. However, totalbiomass yield was reduced up to 60% when grazing heights were increased from5 to 20 cm, although differences were only observed at the fall and earlyspring grazing events. Relative forage quality (RFQ) was similar acrosstreatments, except at the third grazing event for which the 15 and 20-cmtreatments had reduced RFQ compared with other treatments. Results suggestthat increasing grazing heights can reduce emergence and survival of burdockand Canada thistle but can also result in a reduction in forage quantity inthe fall and early spring.

Keywords

Canada thistle, Cirsium arvense (L.) Scopcommon burdock, Arctium minus Bernhplumeless thistle, Carduus acanthoides LLight interceptionweed emergenceweed survival

Information

Type
Weed Management
Information
Weed Science , Volume 60 , Issue 1 , March 2012 , pp. 92 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Weed Science Society of America 

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References

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