VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Salsola kali | Russian-Thistle 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Cattle and sheep eat Russian-thistle, and it is a minor component (less
than 10%) in bison, mule deer, and elk diets [18,45,51,53].  It is an
important prairie dog food [13], and pronghorn show high preference
for the summer growth in years of high precipitation [8].

Russian-thistle seeds are eaten by at least eight species of granivorous
birds, including scaled and Gambel's quail [5,18,20].  Small mammals
also consume the seeds [18].


PALATABILITY : 
Russian-thistle is preferred by prairie dogs [13].  It is palatable to
sheep and cattle from early spring until flowering, at which time sharp
spines form, and again during winter when spines are softened by
moisture [53].  Foliage is palatable to pronghorn in summer and fall,
and is palatable year-round in wet years.  Pronghorn find it low in
palatability in dry years and in spring [8].

The palatability of Russian-thistle for livestock and wildlife species
is rated as follows [19]:

                               CO       MT       ND       UT       WY
     Cattle                   fair     fair     fair     fair     fair
     Sheep                    fair     good     good     good     fair
     Horses                   fair     poor     fair     poor     fair
     Pronghorn                ----     ----     ----     poor     poor    
     Elk                      ----     ----     ----     good     good
     Mule deer                ----     ----     ----     good     good
     White-tailed deer        ----     ----     ----     ----     good
     Small mammals            ----     ----     ----     fair     good
     Small nongame birds      ----     ----     ----     fair     fair
     Upland game birds        ----     ----     ----     fair     good
     Waterfowl                ----     ----     ----     poor     poor


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The nutritional value of Russian-thistle varies by season.  In spring
Russian-thistle provides fair nutrition for livestock and wildlife.  The
nutritional value of fresh, immature Russian-thistle leaves and stems
was as follows [44]:
  
       Composition (%)            Digestible Protein (%)
     ash            12.0             cattle      8.5
     crude fiber    12.4             goats       8.6
     protein        11.5             horses      8.3
                                     rabbits     8.1

The nutritional value of winter forage, after the plant has dried, is
higher.  It is a good source of vitamin A and phosphorus.  Dry
Russian-thistle from a western Utah rangeland had the following
nutiritional value for sheep [15]:

     digestible protein (%)         12.4
     digestible energy (cal/lb)    997
     ash (%)                        22.8
     calcium (%)                     2.47
     phosphorus (%)                  0.22
     carotene (mg/lb)                4.1

Russian-thistle contains small amounts of oxalate that are probably not
harmful to livestock [12].

Weanling mice showed favorable growth responses when fed a diet of
Russian-thistle seed meal.  The nutritional value of Russian thistle
seed meal from Saskatchewan, Canada was as follows [16]:

     protein (%)     49.9
     ash (%)          7.4
     fiber (%)       10.4
     oxalate (%)      2.2
                                                  


COVER VALUE : 
Russian-thistle provides hiding cover for small mammals, songbirds,
upland game birds, and waterfowl [19].  Seven percent of sage grouse in
a southeastern Idaho big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) community used
Russian-thistle for nesting cover [35].

The degree to which Russian-thistle provides environmental protection
to wildlife has been rated as follows [19]:

                              MT      ND       UT       WY       
     Pronghorn               ----    good     poor     poor     
     Elk                     ----    ----     poor     poor
     Mule deer               ----    good     poor     poor
     White-tailed deer       ----    good     ----     poor
     Small mammals           fair    ----     fair     fair
     Small nongame birds     fair    ----     fair     fair     
     Upland game birds       ----    good     fair     fair
     Waterfowl               good    ----     poor     poor


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Russian-thistle is beneficial when rehabilitating disturbed sites.  It
is frequently an unwanted weed on such sites, but disturbed sites often
recover more quickly when Russian-thistle is left on-site because its
presence accelerates the rate of revegetation [2,18, 29].  If topsoil
remains on the site, Russian-thistle roots are readily invaded by
mychorrhizal fungi harbored in the soil [4].  Russian-thistle does not
form mychorrhizal associations, and fungal invasion results in the death
of the infected root.  The fungi consequently invade other
Russian-thistle roots.  Russian-thistle populations decline, but
mycorrizal fungus populations increase and subsequently invade the
mycorrhizal association-forming species which comprise the next stage of
plant succession.  These species usually flourish as a consequence of
increased mychorrhizal fungus populations [2].  Dead Russian-thistle
plants provide microshading for other establishing plant species [29].
If topsoil is gone, however, Russian-thistle can dominate disturbed
sites for up to 10 years.  Such sites benefit more from the addition of
topsoil than the removal of Russian-thistle [3].

Dry Russian-thistle foliage has been used as an inexpensive mulch on
replanted coal mine spoils in Arizona [17].  


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
Agricultural:  Russian-thistle is sometimes harvested for hay and
silage.  Russian-thistle hay is credited with saving the beef cattle
industry in Canada and the United States during the Dust Bowl era, when
conventional hay crops failed and no other feed was available for
starving animals [18,61].

Russian-thistle is sometimes used for Christmas decoration [7].


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Range:  Lambs entering winter ranges for the first time sometimes
develop mouth ulcerations from eating dry Russian-thistle.  The
ulcerations usually persist for 2 to 3 weeks.  Additionally, rain- or
snow-softened Russian-thistle often has a laxative effect upon
livestock, which may harm already weakened animals [15,53].

Livestock ranges that have deteriorated from drought or overgrazing are
frequently invaded and dominated by Russian-thistle [41,52].

Agricultural:  Russian-thistle competes with crop plants for space,
water, and nutrients [55].  In Washington, Russian-thistle ranked
seventh in importance when compared to other crop weeds based upon
hectares infested [60].  Russian-thistle is the primary host for the
beet leafhopper (Circulifera tenellus) that vectors the curly-top virus
of sugar beets, tomatoes, and curcubits (Cucurbita spp.) [18,53].

Russian-thistle shows promise as a hay crop in semiarid regions.  When
irrigated and fertilized, Russian-thistle grown on a New Mexican site
produced 73 percent as much total dry weight matter per annum per
hectacre as alfalfa, and contained 65 percent as much protein, while
requiring only half as much water [30].

Other:  Russian-thistle is often considered a troublesome weed because
it obstructs roadways and stream channels, buries fence lines, and
causes fire hazards [55].

Control:  Burrill and others [14] reported that either 2,4-D or
bromoxynil used in combination with dicamba was 80 to 94 percent
effective in controlling Russian-thistle, and metribuzin used in
combination with chlorsulfuron gave 95 to 100 percent control.  Young
and Whitesides [60] reported only 12 percent control of Russian-thistle
with 2,4-D.

Insects from the genera Celeophora, Microlarinus, and Trichosirocalus
are being tested as biological contol agents of Russian-thistle.  Insect
populations of these genera have established in California, but
preliminary results suggest that of the three genera, only
Trichosirocalus is able to establish in cold climates.  Trichosirocalus
horridis has been successfully introduced in Canada for Russian-thistle
control [40].  To date, there are no data regarding the effectiveness of
these insects as contol agents.

Related categories for Species: Salsola kali | Russian-Thistle