Can Cattle Be Used to Control Sericea Lespedeza?

Gregory K. Mantz, Juan J. Villalba, Frederick D. Provenza

Abstract


Sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) is an important forage in some parts of the southeastern United States. An introduced legume that thrives in soils of low fertility, older varieties of sericea introduced in the tallgrass prairie region of the Great Plains became invasive because of their competitive characteristics that are, in part, at- tributable to high concentrations of condensed tannins (CTs), which discourage grazing and reduce performance of cattle.

DOI: 10.2458/azu_rangelands_v35i4_mantz


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