How do native and .improved' grasses affect above‐ground production and soil organic C ?

摘要

Crested wheatgrass [ A gropyron cristatum (L.) Gaertn.] and Russian wildrye [ Psathyrostachys j uncea (Fisch.) Nevski] are commonly used for reseeding in the more xeric Mixed Prairie because they are perceived to be more productive than native species.However, crested wheatgrass has been implicated in soil deterioration (Dormaar et al., 1995 ) while native grasses are being examined with increasing interest in Canada for their potential use in reclamation and forage production (Kerr et al., 1993).The objectives of our study were to compare the above‐ground net primary production (ANPP) and soil organic C among communities of selected native and introduced grasses and wheat, and to assess the benefits of simple mixtures.