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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Madison, Wisconsin » U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center » Dairy Forage Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #292542
Title: Reed canarygrass: friend and foe?

Author
item Casler, Michael
item JAKUBOWSKI, ANDY - University Of Wisconsin
item JACKSON, RANDY - University Of Wisconsin
item CHERNEY, JERRY - Cornell University

Submitted to: Popular Publication
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/2013
Publication Date: 5/8/2014
Citation: Casler, M.D., Jakubowski, A., Jackson, R., Cherney, J. 2014. Reed canarygrass: friend and foe? Cornell University Bioenergy Information Sheet #9.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Reed canarygrass is native to the northern USA, and therefore is not labeled as an “invasive species” by the federal government. Low-alkaloid (nontoxic), high-quality varieties, developed for upland sites, likely are less competitive than wild types, and less likely to be an ecological problem. Breeding tends to make improvements across a narrow range of environments, and such changes are not stable across diverse environments. Any varieties developed for bioenergy use should be designed for a specific environment, which will minimize their invasive potential in wetlands.