Control of smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) seedlings with four herbicides, Carrie A. Knott, E. P. Webster, and P. Nabukalu

摘要

Smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora Loisel.) is a perennial grass native to intertidal saline marshes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts in the United States (Godfrey and Wooten 1979). It has a dense canopy formed by quickly spreading rhizomes. In its native ecosystems, it provides valuable wildlife habitat and is essential to reducing wave energy and accumulating suspended sediments (Redfield 1972, Nepf 1999). Smooth cordgrass has spread worldwide; it was accidentally introduced on the West Coast of the United States in the 1800s (Frenkle and Kunze 1984, Sayce 1988) and has since spread as far north as British Columbia and as far south as California (Frenkle and Kunze 1984). It was also intentionally introduced in China in the 1970s to reclaim coastal areas (Chung 1993, Chung et al. 2004, Zhang et al. 2004). Outside its native ecosystems, smooth cordgrass is an extremely aggressive invader that alters ecosystems so significantly that native biodiversity and habitats can be lost (Callaway and Josselyn 1992, Daehler and Strong 1996, Dumbauld et al. 1997, Chen et al. 2004)..