WESTMINSTER, Colorado – 9 May, 2023 – Buffelgrass is a highly invasive perennial found in arid regions around the globe. It is known to reduce the biodiversity of native ecosystems and to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
A team of researchers recently took a close look at efforts to control buffelgrass in Arizona’s Saguaro National Park, located in the Sonoran Desert. An article featured in volume 16, issue 1 of the journal Invasive Plant Science and Management describes what that investigation can tell us about effective control strategies. After examining data from 2011 to 2020, the team found:
“Most important of all are long-term monitoring and surveillance,” says Yue M. Li, conservation research scientist at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona. “Low levels of buffelgrass can quickly expand by multiple orders of magnitude.”
To learn more, visit the article “Effectiveness of a decade of treatments to reduce invasive buffelgrass ( Pennisetum ciliare )” – available at https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2023.2 .
Invasive Plant Science and Management
Experimental study
Not applicable
Effectiveness of a decade of treatments to reduce invasive buffelgrass (Pennisetum ciliare)
9-May-2023