Summer Establishment of Sonoran Desert Species for Revegetation of Abandoned Farmland Using Line Source Sprinkler Irrigation

Direct seeding methods to revegetate abandoned farmland were tested at a desert site west of Phoenix, Arizona. Native seeds were broadcast onto plots prepared by mulching, imprinting, chiseling, and fertilizing with phosphorous in a split-plot design. Each main plot was split into subplots that were not irrigated, irrigated with saline (3.25 dS/m) well water, or irrigated and hand weeded of Salsola iberica. Native seeds germinated poorly on all treatments, and three annual exotic weeds (Brassica nigra, S. iberica, and Schismus spp.) dominated the plots. None of the main plot treatments (mulching, imprinting, chiseling, or fertilizing) had a significant effect on seed germination or canopy cover. Irrigation increased plant cover on plots, but weeds dominated the cover (<4% native species, up to 50% weeds). Near the end of the second growing season a seed bank study was conducted in the greenhouse. Undisturbed desert soil had relatively few weed seeds and more native plant seeds than the disturbed agricultural soil samples, which had few viable native seeds and were dominated by Schismus spp., B. nigra, and S. iberica. The results illustrate the difficulty of establishing native plants on abandoned desert farmland due to the dominance of weedy species, the presence of salts in the soil, and the lack of adequate soil moisture in the treatments without supplemental irrigation.

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Native Plant Regeneration on Abandoned Desert Farmland: Effects of Irrigation, Soil Preparation, and Amendments on Seedling Establishment

Banerjee

Gerhart

Glenn

2006

Restoration Ecology

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The Influence of Historical Land Use and Water Availability on Grassland Restoration

Wan

Zhu

et al. 2010

Restoration Ecology

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The ecological role of historical land use has rarely been explored in the context of grassland restoration. We conducted a 4-year field experiment in a steppe and an old field in Inner Mongolia in northern China to examine the influence of historical land use and water availability on ecosystem restoration. Species richness, evenness, and plant cover were higher in the steppe than in the old field. The steppe was more temporally stable compared with the old field in terms of species richness, evenness, plant density, and cover. Water addition increased peak aboveground biomass, belowground net primary productivity, species richness, plant density, and cover in both the steppe and the old field. Water addition also enhanced the stability of ecosystems and the restoration of grassland. Our findings suggested that historical land use determines community structure and influences the process of grassland restoration. Converting grasslands to farmland in semiarid areas can cause the long-term loss of biodiversity and instability of ecosystem with consequent impacts on ecosystem services. The amendment of limited resources is an effective practice to increase the success of ecosystem restoration.

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Summer Establishment of Sonoran Desert Species for Revegetation of Abandoned Farmland Using Line Source Sprinkler Irrigation

Abstract: 23 24 B. A. Roundy et al. limited nature of summer rainfall on abandoned farmland in the lower Sonoran Desert.

Cited by 2 publications

References 14 publications

Native Plant Regeneration on Abandoned Desert Farmland: Effects of Irrigation, Soil Preparation, and Amendments on Seedling Establishment

Native Plant Regeneration on Abandoned Desert Farmland: Effects of Irrigation, Soil Preparation, and Amendments on Seedling Establishment

The Influence of Historical Land Use and Water Availability on Grassland Restoration

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