Treatment of Non-Native Lovegrasses at Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch

Non-native Boer and Lehmann lovegrasses threatened the native grasslands at the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch (AWRR). AWRR staff began experimenting with treatments of lovegrass in the late-1990s to discover effective methods to protect and rehabilitate native grasslands. Chemical treatment (glyphosate + colorant + surfactant) was the only method that was effective. Other control efforts included use of fire, mowing, physical removal, alteration of the carbon-nitrogen ratio, and grazing by domestic livestock. In two years, the frequency of Lehmann lovegrass was reduced from 70% to 10%. However, achieving long-term success would require continuous treatment efforts.