Herbaceous Production and Soil Nitrogen after Mesquite Mortality in Southern Great Plains (US) Grassland

Mesquites Limit Targeted Grazing Effects on Texas Wintergrass Growth and Reproduction Responses

“…Nutrient enrichment under trees may also be attributed to defecation and urination by livestock and wildlife that select subcanopy areas to rest or ruminate under the shade and/or to graze nutrient-rich forage located there, creating a positive feedback loop and adding to the influence of trees on subcanopy forage quality and attractiveness (Treydte et al 2010). Although we did not measure soil or forage quality relative to canopy position in this study, other studies' findings of enhanced soil fertility under mesquites in the region (Dai et al 2006; Ansley et al 2021) indicate that the greater dead-to-live DMY ratios of UC plants were likely due to reduced livestock consumption and subsequent increases in accumulation of dead material.…”

“…Therefore, in each plot we had three subsamples in UC and three in OC areas. Ansley et al (2021) used a similar approach with three subsamples per treatment · canopy combination in a plot when assessing the interacting effects of mesquite herbicide treatment and canopy microsite on herbaceous production and soil characteristics.…”

“…We suspected similar patterns would also be seen at the individual-plant level. Mesquite facilitation effects on Texas wintergrass are most evident directly under the canopy, but ameliorating effects carry over into the interspaces as well ( Ansley et al 2019 ;Ansley et al 2021 ). In a 9-year study by Ansley et al (2019) in plots where mesquite canopy cover was 66% and interspaces comprised 34% of the total area, wintergrass production and cover was typically greater than that of C 4 perennial grasses in interspaces.…”

“…Soil moisture, organic matter, and N are often greater under woody canopies ( Mordelet and Le Roux 2006 ). Soil N increases under canopies are especially pronounced under the canopies of leguminous trees like mesquites ( Saixiyala et al 2017 ;Ansley et al 2021 ). Nutrient enrichment under trees may also be attributed to defecation and urination by livestock and wildlife that select subcanopy areas to rest or ruminate under the shade and/or to graze nutrient-rich forage located there, creating a positive feedback loop and adding to the influence of trees on subcanopy forage quality and attractiveness ( Treydte et al 2010 ).…”

Fall–winter cover crops promote soil health and weed control in the southeastern clayey soils

“…The above results should be interpreted after taking into consideration that the measurement protocol, the Haney test, is still undergoing field evaluation and refinement in contrasting soils and climates across the United States. However, multiple recent reports support the usefulness of this test to characterize soil health (Ansley et al, 2021;Bavougian et al, 2019;Mattila & Rajala, 2022). Bavougian et al (2019) reported the appropriateness of the Haney soil health test for quantifying the effects of a change in management such as cover cropping to replace fallow periods in annual systems.…”