TITLE:
Distribution and Productivity of Naturalized Alfalfa in Mixed-Grass Prairie
AUTHORS:
Lan Xu, Arvid Boe, Patricia S. Johnson, Roger N. Gates, Christopher G. Misar
KEYWORDS:
Biomass Production, Diversity, Falcata, Lucerne, Rangelands, Seed Bank, Species Richness
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.10 No.6,
June
25,
2019
ABSTRACT: Alfalfa (Medicago
sativa L.) is an important forage and conservation crop in North America
but occurrences of naturalized alfalfa in rangelands are rare. A naturalized
population of yellow-flowered alfalfa in mixed-grass prairie on the Grand River
National Grassland in South Dakota has potential agricultural value for the
region. Despite this value, the distribution pattern of this alfalfa among and
within native plant communities in the northern Great Plains is unknown. Field
studies were conducted from 2003 through 2006 along topographic positions at
two sites where yellow-flowered alfalfa was naturalized to evaluate the
relationships of yellow-flowered alfalfa on biomass production, cover, species
diversity, and alfalfa seedbank distribution characteristics. High
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover (>50%) was associated with increased total
biomass and occurred exclusively in swales and toeslopes that had silty loam
soils. However, species diversity and non-alfalfa biomass were reduced when
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover was high. Yellow-flowered alfalfa cover was lower
and species richness was higher on backslopes and shoulder areas where sandy
loam soils were present. A strong positive linear association existed between
yellow-flowered alfalfa cover and alfalfa seedbank density (r values ranged
from 0.76 to 0.82, P