Study

Mulch amendment facilitates early revegetation development on an abandoned field in northern mixed grass prairies of North America

  • Published source details Mollard F.P., Naeth M.A. & Cohen-Fernandez A. (2016) Mulch amendment facilitates early revegetation development on an abandoned field in northern mixed grass prairies of North America. Ecological Engineering, 97, 284-291.

Actions

This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

Action Category

Add mulch before or after seeding/planting

Action Link
Grassland Conservation
  1. Add mulch before or after seeding/planting

    A replicated, controlled study in 2012–2014 in a former arable field in Alberta, Canada (Mollard et al. 2016; same experimental setup as Mollard et al. 2014) found that adding mulch before sowing seeds did not increase vegetation cover compared to sowing seeds but not adding mulch. Vegetation cover did not differ significantly between plots where mulch was added and seeds were sown (23–82%) and plots where seeds were sown but mulch was not added (29–70%). In May 2012, the entire site was sprayed with glyphosate herbicide, tilled to a depth of 10 cm, and fenced to exclude livestock. Mulch (wheat straw or hay) was added to twenty-four 2 × 2 m plots, following which plots were sown with five grass species. In six plots, seeds were sown but no mulch was added. In August 2013 and 2014, vegetation cover was estimated using 1 × 1 m quadrats placed in each plot.

    (Summarised by: Philip Martin)

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