Effects of Prescribed Fire, Tillage, and Herbicide to Reestablish Native Vegetation on Old Fields Within the Blackland Prairie Ecoregion of Texas
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological and Environmental Sciences
Date of Award
Spring 2015
Abstract
This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of prescribed fire, tillage, and herbicide for reestablishing native vegetation seeded onto former Texas Blackland Prairie sites. Subplots were exposed to fire, herbicide, and tillage and all combinations of these techniques. Cover was estimated before and after treatment for five native grasses, two native forbs, seven exotic grasses, and one exotic forb. Cover was found to change for all species except Bothriochloa ischaemum and Engelmannia peristenia. A decrease in exotic species observed in control plots made it difficult to interpret the effects of the treatments on exotic species. In terms of germinating and establishing native species, some treatments seemed to be more effective than others. The treatments of tillage and tillage + fire were most effective for establishing seeded native species. However, follow-up studies are necessary to determine whether the effects observed here are maintained over the long term and whether they would be equally effective under non-drought conditions.
Advisor
Jeffrey Kopachena
Subject Categories
Biology | Life Sciences
Recommended Citation
Whaley, Audrey Michelle, "Effects of Prescribed Fire, Tillage, and Herbicide to Reestablish Native Vegetation on Old Fields Within the Blackland Prairie Ecoregion of Texas" (2015). Electronic Theses & Dissertations. 666.
https://digitalcommons.tamuc.edu/etd/666
