Grazing Nassella

Abstract

Maintaining purple needlegrass populations re- quires informed grazing management but defoliation or grazing effects on native peren- nial grasses in California’s annual-dominated rangelands have received little attention because they were not the dominant or key species for management. These native pe- rennial grasses begin vegetative growth in the fall after the  rst rains, grow slowly during the winter, and then grow rapidly with warming spring temperatures. Vegetative growth peaks and  owering begins by April, but some vegetative growth can continue into June.1,2 Surrounding annual vegetation begins  owering by early April and reaches its peak standing crop as soil moisture is depleted, commonly in late April or May.

DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v35i2_george