IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

In general, foxtail chess is of little value to livestock and big game. The long awns of red brome are harmful to livestock when seeds are ripe [41]. Under some circumstances, red brome may provide a source of forage. Krausman and others [50] observed light desert mule deer use (< 1% of seasonal diet) of red brome in Arizona. Desert bighorn sheep also use red brome [68].

Desert cottontail prefer red brome. Heaviest use occurs in winter [74].

PALATABILITY:

The palatability of red brome to livestock and wildlife in Utah has been rated as follows [28]:

Elk	Poor
Mule deer	Fair
Antelope	Fair
Upland game bird	Fair
Waterfowl	Poor
Small nongame bird	Fair
Small mammal	Good

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

The calcium:phosphorous ratio for red brome is 1:2 [35].

Seegmiller and others [68] conducted a nutritional analysis of red brome within the Harlequin Mountains, Arizona. Red brome parts selected for analysis (leaves, flowers, new growth) were those used by desert bighorn sheep. Results (mean %) are presented below:

	Dry Matter	Protein	Lignin	Cellulose	Cell Solubles	Hemicellulose	Ether Extract	Ash
January-February	36.17	11.29	8.63	24.24	40.21	20.12	2.32	13.94
March-April	36.51	5.80	5.06	28.70	34.25	26.64	1.89	7.66
May-June	97.72	3.32	6.58	31.19	24.28	31.16	0.66	10.85
July-August	89.28	4.00	7.45	33.31	23.78	28.47	2.08	11.71

COVER VALUE:

Foxtail chess provides fair cover for small mammals and small nongame birds [28].

VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES:

No entry

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

No entry

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

Red brome is common in open canopies of Arizona chaparral subjected to heavy grazing [17]. Betancout [13] attributes red brome expansion in the Upper Sonoran Desert of central and southern Arizona to climate change. Since 1976, increased winter precipitation has promoted the spread of red brome. In relatively dry areas of the Southwest, red brome may displace native species during wetter years [4,15,42]. Relatively drier winters and wetter summers may slow the red brome invasion [13].

The smut Ustilago bullata is common on red brome in Nevada. Infected plants produce fewer viable seeds than uninfected plants [42].

In California chaparral, fall germination of foxtail chess gives the grass a competitive advantage over shrub seedlings, which usually germinate in spring [14]. Foxtail chess competes with California sagebrush (Artemisia californica) seedlings during their 1st growing season. Planting shrubs that are 1 or more years old increases their competitive ability against red brome [29]. Bartolome and others [8] found mulch  provided no significant (p > 0.05) benefit to standing crops foxtail chess in areas of California receiving less than 9.8 inches (250 mm) annual precipitation.

Foxtail chess is an annual weed in California cereal crops  [26].

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Related categories for SPECIES: Bromus madritensis | Foxtail Chess

• Introductory
• Distribution and Occurrence
• Value and Use
• Botanical and Ecological Characteristics
• Fire Ecology
• Fire Effects
• References
• All Frames (for printing)