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<DIV>Angie and others:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This week we began our annual treatment of stiltgrass and yesterday, August
15, I found stiltgrass in seed.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A week ago I saw some plants that were almost ready to go to seed but I
blew off the thought of what was actually going on because I figured it was at
least three weeks earlier than usual.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Russ Richardson, Forester</DIV>
<DIV>Arnoldsburg, WV</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 8/16/2012 12:35:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
anshelto@indiana.edu writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" color=#000000 size=2 face=Arial>Hello
all,
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I have noticed that Japanese stilt grass in south central Indiana started
setting seed by the first week of August this year. Seed set
in this area usually begins in late August to early September. This year's
seed set is almost a full month earlier than usual. Control efforts on
this annual plant need to be done before seed set to be effective, so an
earlier flowering time reduces the time for late-season management.
</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The earlier flowering could be a result of a warm, early spring that
caused stiltgrass and most native spring plants to germinate 3-4 weeks earlier
than usual. It could also be due to a much warmer than usual summer.
These causes are not mutually exclusive. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I am curious if Japanese stiltgrass is also flowering earlier than usual
in other regions. If so, was germination also earlier than usual?
Summer temperatures were probably warmer than usual across the entire
range in the eastern U.S. What are the typical germination and flowering
times in more southern regions where the growing season is longer? Being
able to predict flowering time across a range of conditions is important to
know when the deadline is to complete management efforts for the year.
</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Angie Shelton<BR>Department of Biology<BR>IU Research & Teaching
Preserve<BR>Indiana University<BR>Bloomington, IN 47405<BR>812-855-1674<BR><A
title=mailto:anshelto@indiana.edu
href="mailto:anshelto@indiana.edu">anshelto@indiana.edu</A><BR></DIV><BR><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>PCA's
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list<BR>APWG@lists.plantconservation.org<BR>http://lists.plantconservation.org/mailman/listinfo/apwg_lists.plantconservation.org<BR><BR>Disclaimer<BR>Any
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the individual posting the
message.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>