Is altering grazing selectivity of invasive forage species with patch burning more effective than herbicide treatments?. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 60(3), 253-260.

Sericea lespedeza is an invasive weed in the tallgrass prairies of the Southern Great Plains. Field experiments were initiated in 1995 at three locations in central Oklahoma to evaluate control of sericea lespedeza for several years after treatment with herbicide. Herbicide treatments included triclopyr at 560 and 840 g ae/ha, fluroxypyr at 210 and 560 g ae/ha, and metsulfuron at 13 and 21 g ai/ha applied at simple-stem (SS), branched-stem (BS), and flowering (FL) growth stages of sericea lespedeza. At all three locations, applications of triclopyr and fluroxypyr at the BS growth stage resulted in less than 4% of the pretreatment sericea lespedeza stem density remaining in the first growing season after treatment (GSAT). Metsulfuron applied at the FL growth stage resulted in 0 to 9% of the pretreatment stem density remaining in the first GSAT. Regardless of rate, triclopyr and fluroxypyr applied at the BS growth stage provided the most consistent long-term control of sericea lespedeza. Percentage of pretreatment stem density remaining with these treatments was 0 to 20% at two locations in the third GSAT, and 4 to 15% at one location in the fifth GSAT. Aboveground biomass yields of desirable grasses (bermudagrass, indiangrass, and little bluestem) at two locations were greater than that of the untreated check in the second and third GSAT in all herbicide treatments. But biomass yield of bermudagrass did not increase when sericea lespedeza was controlled at the location with eroded soil conditions.

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Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay production for dairy and equine industries is a profitable enterprise in the Great Plains. However, as stands thin, forage production decreases and weeds increase, resulting in decreased returns. The objective of this research was to determine if alternative management strategies using October sod seeding plus March grazing could be utilized to increase forage production and control pests. Experiments were conducted at four locations in central Oklahoma from 1998–2000. Two ungrazed treatments (with and without pesticides) were compared with three treatments without pesticides but grazed by cattle in March. The three grazing treatments included: no sod seed, ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) sod‐seeded in October, and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) sod‐seeded in October. Grazing by cattle reduced alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica Gyllenhal) larval populations as effectively as insecticide application. In thin stands (<200 stems m−2), total forage yields were increased with alfalfa–grass mixtures by an average of 2.7 kg ha−1. However, alfalfa yields were decreased 0.9 kg ha−1 with sod‐seeded ryegrass (P = 0.05). In thin stands, sod‐seeded grass treatments were more effective at weed suppression than a herbicide treatment. Net returns from cool‐season forage production increased with sod seeding plus March grazing compared with net returns using conventional haying methods. In thin stands (<200 stems m−2), sod seeding of ryegrass or wheat plus March grazing provided greater net returns ($175 ha−1) than conventional practice of using pesticides and haying. In full stands (>250 stems m−2), net returns from conventional alfalfa management (using pesticides and only haying) were comparable to October sod seed plus March grazing treatments.