Extent Of Medusahead - Latest Invasive Threat To Western Rangelands - Growing 12%/Yr In 17 States

[hatrack]

EDIT

Research is identifying some other grass species, including crested wheatgrass and Sandberg's bluegrass, that may be able to compete with medusahead, reduce its spread and preserve the grazing value of lands, Mangla said. They are also studying new ways of restoring medusahead-infested areas. But so far, medusahead has received very little attention compared to other threats such as cheatgrass, even though it ultimately poses a far greater threat to ecosystems across the West.

Cheatgrass is a serious problem on more than 50 million acres, Mangla said, but grazing animals can still eat it. The new study makes it clear that cheatgrass and native grasses may all eventually be replaced by medusahead, which eliminates more than 80 percent of the grazing value of land.

Experts at the Oregon Department of Agriculture say that once land is invaded by medusahead, it becomes largely worthless, incapable of supporting native animals, birds or livestock.

The sharp and twisting points on the tips of medusahead injure the eyes and mouths of animals, and give the plant its name - based on the female monster in Greek mythology that had hair composed of writhing snakes. The plant takes up other soil resources and its deep root system soaks up limited moisture. It creates fuel for wildfires, has a high silicon content that wears away the teeth of animals, is virtually inedible, and it prevents many other plants from germinating.

EDIT

http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/10111221-invading-weed-threatens-devastation-western-rangelands.html

[WhiteTara]

1. wow. this could provide jobs

hand pulling these noxious weeds is about the only way to get rid of them. Has to be done several times because of seed and roots.

[XemaSab]

3. Usually it's controlled by spraying herbicides

:(

[WhiteTara]

4. well, obviously that's not working

time to take the next step?

[OregonBlue]

2. It's all over my property and I can't get rid of it. Gets in my dad's dogs ears. Nasty stuff.

[pscot]

5. Vast sloals of these

drifting across the western prairie would be awful indeed. The grass sounds almost as bad.

[Kennah]

6. More on medusahead

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/11/a-devilish-grass-invades-the-wes.html?ref=hp

A Devilish Grass Invades the West

Measures to control medusahead's spread—mowing or spraying with herbicides—aren't effective, because they only treat the top of the plants, not the thatch beneath, which protects their seeds, Mangla says. "We need to understand its growth dynamics, what makes it such a successful invader, then we can figure out better ways to disrupt it."
...
"It's a good study, and shows why medusahead can be so competitive," says Joseph Ditomaso, an invasive plant ecologist at the University of California, Davis. "Since animals won't eat it, medusahead essentially creates its own thatch layer, which is a great tactic for preventing seeds from sprouting, as every gardener knows." The only seeds that can make it past the medusahead's thatch barrier are its own sharp, pointy, inedible ones. "It gives itself every advantage," says Ditomaso, who says the best control right now is simply burning the thatch. Meanwhile, Mangla and her team expect that the medusahead will continue to spread, since climate conditions favoring native grasses are sporadic and rare.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taeniatherum_caput-medusae#Control_Methods

No single control method will eradicate medusahead. For best results, it is often necessary use a form of integrated pest management that combines two or more of the following methods.

Mechanical
Burning
Chemical
Biological
Grazing

[txlibdem]

7. Unable to R, am going to K

Thank you for bringing this info to our attention. I have to admit, I'd never even thought that grasses could pose a problem. Ignorance is bliss, I guess.

Is there any chance this lemon can be made into lemonade? It sounds very hardy, has a deep root system, is inedible. If it grows fast as well might it make a good candidate for cellulosic ethanol production?

[XemaSab]

8. They're not very tall grasses

Switchgrass is much taller and more robust. :(

[txlibdem]

9. Darn. Nothing but lemons then...

:spank: