[APWG] Stilt Grass Seeds

Mon Oct 6 12:46:30 CDT 2008

Russ Richardson in WV did a forestry field day about 2 years ago where a 
WVU professor did some herbicide trials on microstegium. An early 
post-emerge application of Acclaim Extra from Bayer works well. It is a 
selective grass herbicides - does not harm cool season grasses or 
broadleaf plants.

I recall one of Russ's employees had tasted the plant and it contains lots 
of very small spiny structures that discourage its consumption by 
herbivores.

Should not be hard to identify the fungus if you send a sample to a turf 
disease id lab. Keep in mind that as the weather cools, the grass may 
appear to have a fungus although it might actually just be dieing off with 
the cool Fall weather - which is normal. It could also be more suseptible 
to a fungus as it dies off in the Fall.
Regards,
David Crank
National Accounts Manager
ISA Certified Arborist #MA-4715A
Bayer Environmental Science
http://www.backedbybayer.com
Mobile:  919-308-3052
David.Crank at BayerCropScience.com

Caitlin Cusack <cccusack at hotmail.com> 
Sent by: apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
10/06/2008 11:41 AM

To
Johnny Randall <jrandall at email.unc.edu>, "S. Luke Flory" 
<sflory at indiana.edu>
cc
apwg at lists.plantconservation.org, Michael Schenk <schenkmj at earthlink.net>
Subject
Re: [APWG] Stilt Grass Seeds

Johnny,
While working in West Virginia I did witness cows grazing on stilt grass. 
It certainly wasn't their food of choice but they were eating it.  My 
field partner has pictures if you want them.
Best,
Caitlin

----------------------------------------
> Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2008 14:47:40 -0400
> From: jrandall at email.unc.edu
> To: sflory at indiana.edu
> CC: apwg at lists.plantconservation.org; schenkmj at earthlink.net
> Subject: Re: [APWG] Stilt Grass Seeds
> 
> No one that I know has ever seen evidence of deer eating Microstegium. 
> Goats don't like it, but Guinea pigs do!
> 
> We too have a fungus on Microstegium, which others have tried to 
> isolate, but I have lost track of just who.  (And there's a Nobel Prize 
> waiting for the ones who can turn this into an effective AND safe 
> biocontrol.)
> 
> Johnny
> 
> S. Luke Flory wrote:
>> Deer are certainly dispersing seed in their hooves and from bedding in 
>> Microstegium but I don't think they are eating much of it - I haven't 
>> ever seen any browse damage although I work in areas with relatively 
>> low deer densities.
>>
>> I also haven't seen hardly any insect damage to Microstegium plants. 
>> If there are insects that eat seed they are not likely eating enough 
>> to put a dent in populations. Most populations have seed/seedling 
>> densities so high that populations self-thin to a great degree over 
>> the course of a growing season (someone once emailed me that they had 
>> counted>100 seedlings in a square inch!). That is, even if half of 
>> the seeds were eaten, populations would likely have the same stem 
>> density and biomass per area at the end of the season. However, if an 
>> insect consumed enough seed it would affect seed dispersal rates...
>>
>> I have noticed a fungus that is hitting some Microstegium populations 
>> pretty hard, particularly in open areas where I think morning dews 
>> spread the fungus. We are currently trying to isolate, identify, and 
>> culture the fungus in the lab and are planning experiments next year 
>> to see if the fungus has an effect on Microstegium biomass, seed 
>> production, and ultimately population dynamics.
>>
>> Luke
>>
>>
>>
>> Michael Schenk wrote:
>>> Yes, deer do seem to be a great mechanism for dispersing stilt grass. 
>>> They like to bed down in it, for one thing.
>>>
>>> What I'm wondering is if there is some species which destructively 
>>> feeds on stilt grass seeds and which might be useful as a biocontrol. 
>>> Since they're so small, this would likely be an invertebrate, maybe 
>>> millipedes or some other forest floor small grazer. What generally 
>>> eats small grass seeds?
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: "Scott Ruhren Ph.D." 
>>>> Sent: Oct 2, 2008 9:21 AM
>>>> To: 'Michael Schenk' , 
>>>> apwg at lists.plantconservation.org
>>>> Subject: RE: [APWG] Stilt Grass Seeds
>>>>
>>>> Mike,
>>>>
>>>> I saw a poster at an invasive species conference in CT with a long 
>>>> list of
>>>> invasive plant seeds detected in deer droppings. Many/most were 
viable.
>>>> Unfortunately, I do not have the author tec. This dispersal 
>>>> mechanism seems
>>>> plausible as deer sample broadly across the flora.
>>>> Just a thought.
>>>>
>>>> Scott
>>>>
>>>> ---
>>>>
>>>> Scott Ruhren, Ph.D.
>>>> Senior Director of Conservation
>>>> Audubon Society of Rhode Island
>>>> 12 Sanderson Road
>>>> Smithfield, RI 02917
>>>>
>>>> 401-949-5454
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org
>>>> [mailto:apwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] On Behalf Of 
Michael
>>>> Schenk
>>>> Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 11:00 AM
>>>> To: apwg at lists.plantconservation.org
>>>> Subject: [APWG] Stilt Grass Seeds
>>>>
>>>> Here's today's question: what eats stilt grass seeds, either on the 
>>>> stem or
>>>> on the ground?
>>>>
>>>> Mike
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>> tion.org
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>> Any requests, advice or opinions posted to this list reflect ONLY the 
>>> opinion of the individual posting the message.
>>
> 
> -- 
> Johnny Randall, Ph.D.
> Assistant Director
> North Carolina Botanical Garden
> CB 3375 
> The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
> Chapel Hill  NC  27599
> Phone - 919-962-0522
> FAX - 919-962-3531
> www.ncbg.unc.edu
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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opinion of the individual posting the message.

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