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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Albany, California » Western Regional Research Center » Invasive Species and Pollinator Health » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #214386
Title: Integration of biological control with other methods to restore rangeland infested with spotted and diffuse knapweed

Author
item Smith, Lincoln
item PASCHKE, MARK - COLORADO STATE UNIV.
item REDENTE, EDWARD - COLORADO STATE UNIV.
item WARREN, STEVEN - COLORADO STATE UNIV.
item KLEIN, DONALD - COLORADO STATE UNIV.

Submitted to: Ecological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2007
Publication Date: 8/10/2007
Citation: Smith, L., Paschke, M.W., Redente, E.F., Warren, S.D., Klein, D.A. 2007. Integration of biological control with other methods to restore rangeland infested with spotted and diffuse knapweed. Ecological Society of America Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A four-year field study was conducted to test alternative control strategies for spotted knapweed and at Fort Carson, CO and diffuse knapweed at Yakima Training Center, WA. We evaluated the control of these alien invasive weeds with a combination of four manipulations to speed up restoration of desirable vegetation: 1) introduction of a soil microbial community from an adjacent native plant community, 2) application of sugar to reduce soil nitrogen availability, 3) reduction of the weed populations using biological control or burning, and 4) reseeding with desirable plant species. The plant community and insect biological control agents were sampled prior to treatments and in each subsequent year of the study. Results indicate that desirable treatment effects occurred in many of the test plots. Knapweed biological control agents became well-established. Soil nitrogen availability was significantly reduced by sugar amendments resulting in significant reductions in weed abundance. The strong effects of biological control agents and drought masked any effects associated with microbial inoculation and seeding.