VALUE AND USE
SPECIES: Leymus cinereus | Basin Wildrye 



WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : 
NO-ENTRY


IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : 
Historically, basin wildrye was a valuable native forage species
throughout the Great Basin and adjacent areas.  Lesperance and others
[44] estimated that about 10 percent of the pristine landscape in the
central Great Basin was occupied by basin big sagebrush/basin wildrye
communities.  Once abundant on the floodplains of the major Great Basin
rivers, basin wildrye was readily exploited by early settlers [86].
Native stands were utilized as both spring and fall pastures and were
frequently cut for hay; in the late 19th century, extensive bottomland
swards were utilized as a standing cured forage crop for wintering
cattle [86].  However, because of extensive year-long grazing and crop
cultivation [76], only remnant stands of basin wildrye exist today [69].
As a consequence of its virtual elimination from major portions of its
range [55,84], basin wildrye has received little study until relatively
recently.

Basin wildrye is a potentially important forage resource on
saline/alkaline range sites in portions of the western United States.
It can produce abundant forage in areas where few others species are
adapted [50,75].  On native ranges in northern Nevada, good-condition
basin wildrye communities which receive the benefit of subsurface and
overland drainage water are estimated to produce a maximum 7,136
pounds/acre (8,000 g/ha); more commonly, however, stands produce
approximately 892 pounds/acre (1,000 g/ha) [63].  Basin wildrye begins
growth in the spring earlier than many introduced species that are also
adapted to saline/alkaline environments [55].  Wasser [78] reported that
basin wildrye typically exhibits earlier regrowth and is ready for
grazing 3 weeks earlier than tall wheatgrass (Thinopyron elongatum).
Plants, however, are susceptible to damage from intense grazing of early
spring and fall regrowth.  In many areas basin wildrye also provides
winter elk feed, upland game bird habitat, and livestock shelter [3,78].


PALATABILITY : 
Basin wildrye is a coarse grass and is generally considered to be an
inferior forage after maturity [66,71].  Ecotypes in Washington have
harsher foliage and are more coarse textured than those in the Great
Basin [21].  Basin wildrye is generally considered fairly palatable to
cattle, horses, and elk in the spring and fall [78].  Cattle readly
consume new leaves and smaller stems in the early spring [18,21,76,78].
By the onset of summer the foliage is usually harsh and tough, and most
basin wildrye plants are left virtually untouched if more palatable
species are available [18,75,76].

Horses relish the ripe seedheads [44]]; sheep prefer only the tender,
young leaves and seedheads [18].  Due to its tall stature, this species
is a valuable winter forage, since plants can be closely grazed when
more palatable species are inacessible due to snow.  Apparently winter
snows soften mature plants, making them more palatable to both livestock
and big game species [39,42,57].  The seeds are also eaten to some
extent by birds and rodents [69].

The palatability of basin wildrye to livestock and wildlife species in
several western states has been rated as follows [24]:

                      CO        MT       UT       WY
 
Cattle               Fair      Good     Good     Good       
Sheep                Fair      Fair     Fair     Good
Horses               Fair      Good     Good     Good
Pronghorn            ----      ----     Fair     Poor
Elk                  ----      ----     Good     Good 
Mule deer            ----      ----     Fair     Poor
White-tailed deer    ----      ----     ----     Poor     
Small mammals        ----      ----     Fair     Fair
Small nongame birds  ----      ----     Fair     Fair
Upland game birds    ----      ----     Good     Fair
Waterfowl            ----      ----     Fair     Poor


NUTRITIONAL VALUE : 
The overall nutritional value of basin wildrye is rather low [18,55,75].
In the winter, basin wildrye contains low levels of protein, vitamins,
and minerals but provides a good source of energy [18]; consequently, it
is a valuable winter feed in some locations.  Basin wildrye can provide
satisfactory food in the winter if it is used in conjunction with a
concentrate supplement or with a more nutitious forage such as alfalfa
hay [39,44,75].  Depending on the quality of the hay, basin wildrye can
provide up to 75 percent of the cattle diet on some winter pastures
[39].

Probable dates when forage mineral content or ratio of basin wildrye
falls out of the range of the requirements for lactating cows on
cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum)-bluegrass (Pseudoroegaria spicata)
dominated sites on the Saylor Creek Experimental Range, southern Idaho
are as follows [90]:

	Mineral             Requirement             Date
	  N                    1.47%               May 27
	  P                     .28%               April 26
	  S                     .10%               June 21
          K                     .60%               August 13
          Zn                   20ppm               May 12
         Ca:P                  > 7:1               August 16
          N:S                  > 15:1              June 16
          N:S                  < 10:1              September 15
         TDDM                  < 65%               August 2

Simms [68] reported the following nutritional information for basin
wildrye seeds:

        cal/ kg          2,800
        % protein        8.8
        % carbohydrates  59.3
        % ash            26.8
        % fat            1.4
        % moisture       3.6
     


COVER VALUE : 
Basin wildrye provides excellent cover for upland game birds and
numerous small mammals [57].  Pheasants utilize the tall, heavy growth
for cover and nesting sites [69].  During August, patches of basin
wildrye are preferred habitat for California voles in annual grasslands.
Deer use basin wildrye stands for bedding areas and cover [69].

The degree to which basin wildrye provides environmental protection
during one or more seasons for wildlife species is as follows [24]:

                       MT           UT            WY
Pronghorn             ----         Fair          Poor
Elk                   ----         Fair          Poor 
Mule deer             ----         Fair          Fair
White-tailed deer     ----         ----          Fair
Small mammals         Poor         Good          Good
Small nongame birds   Poor         Good          Good
Upland game birds     Fair         Good          Good
Waterfowl             ----         Fair          Fair


VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : 
Basin wildrye has been used to stabilize soil on embankments and
drainage ditches [3,19].  It is also potentially useful for fence row
plantings and field and windbreak boarders [78].  Recent studies by
Walker and Brotherson [76] indicate that basin wildrye may be an
excellent reclamation species for severely disturbed sites.  They
reported that this species naturally invaded badger diggings within
climax sagebrush-grass upland communities in Utah.  Basin wildrye
completely dominated sites initially, but stands gradually returned to
climax sagebrush-grass vegetation.

Basin wildrye's greatest potential lies in the revegetation of vast
acreages of degraded saline/alkaline range sites which once supported
highly productive stands of basin wildrye [63].  Revegetation attempts
on these sites have been largely unsuccessful due to a lack of adapted
species.  Sites are generally too dry for tall wheatgrass (Thinopyrum
elongatum) and too saline for crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum)
[86].  In addition, many revegetation efforts have required
supplementary irrigation and/or soil amendments.  Basin wildrye has not
been widely utilized in the past as a rehabilitation species because of
poor seed fill, low germination, and poor seedling vigor [30].  `Magnar'
basin wildrye, an improved cultivar released in 1979, tends to overcome
these limitations and offers a renewed potential for the use of basin
wildrye in rangeland rehabilitation [27].  Refer to Roundy and others
[63] for a comparison of 'Magnar' basin wildrye and the improved tall
wheatgrass cultivar 'Jose.'

Basin wildrye is also adapted for use in mountain big sagebrush
communities where annual precipitation exceeds 12 inches (300 mm) and in
basin big sagebrush communities where annual precipitation exceeds 13
inches (325 mm) [70].  Monsen [47] recommended basin wildrye for
riparian plantings within the following plant communities:  wet meadow,
mountain-brush, sagebrush, desert shrub, and saltgrass.

Basin wildrye is rarely seeded in mixtures because it is strongly
competitive and effectively suppresses establishmeent of associated
species.  Use of strains/ecotypes from markedly different latitudes,
elevations, and habitats is not encouraged because winter hardiness may
prove to be a problem [78].


OTHER USES AND VALUES : 
The seeds of basin wildrye were a vital source of food for many Indian
tribes inhabiting the Great Basin [19,26,37,68,86].  Sagebrush/basin
wildrye communities were commonly harvested and the grass seed threshed;
native stands often extended for 30 acres or more [44,87]


MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : 
Basin wildrye is highly susceptible to damage from spring grazing or
frequent cutting during the growing season [42,54,55] and requires a
special grazing system to maintain stands at optimal production [44].
Research aimed at developing a grazing system for salt desert ranges is
currently underway [44,63].  Basin wildrye should be grazed only in the
fall and winter after the growing season [63].  No more than 50 percent
of the herbage of basin wildrye should be grazed prior to its boot
stage, and spring grazing should not take place every year [42,50].
Plants are particularly susceptible to grazing damage during the boot
stage when carbohydrate reserves are reduced [42].  Wasser [78]
indicated that spring grazing should be withheld until new growth
reaches at least 10 inches (25 cm) in height; remaining stubble should
not be less than 6 inches (15 cm).  He emphasized that plants should be
rested while enough soil moisture is available to restore root reserves.
The same stubble height guidelines are also recommended when utilizing
fall regrowth; once again, plants should be rested from grazing before
the onset of winter dormacy.

Some remnant stands of basin wildrye might benefit from brush control
[63].  If the pretreatment vegetation has a good understory of basin
wildrye, plants will respond relatively rapidly following shrub removal.
Control must be followed by proper grazing management or no forage
release can be expected.  Generally, basin wildrye is severely depleted
in overgrazed stands; only those plants located in shrub canopies and
otherwise inaccessible to grazing animals remain.  These stands respond
very slowly to brush removal due to poor seedling establishment
characteristics of native stands.

Seedheads of basin wildrye can become infested with the fungus, black
sclerotia of ergot (Claviceps purpurea), especially in wet years
[19,55,75,78].  Ingestion by livestock may cause abortion and sometimes
death.

Related categories for Species: Leymus cinereus | Basin Wildrye