• IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE
• PALATABILITY
• NUTRITIONAL VALUE
• COVER VALUE
• OTHER MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS

IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE:

Medusahead is not usually considered important to wildlife [12]. Rabbits may occasionally graze medusahead [90]. Medusahead seed appears to be largely indigestible to chukar and other wild birds [72,88]. In a controlled study, chukar in medusahead- infested areas ingested medusahead fruits. However, when diet was limited to medusahead seeds, dramatic weight loss occurred [88].

Mule deer generally use medusahead very little. A northeastern Oregon medusahead-rattail fescue (Festuca myuros)-soft chess (Bromus mollis) community received some spring and summer use. However, despite the extensive stands available, medusahead was still the least preferred forage of mule deer in winter, summer, and fall, and it ranked low in spring. Communities dominated by medusahead were of little value to mule deer, while cheatgrass-dominated communities receive substantial use [13]. The dwarf sagebrush species such as low sagebrush and black sagebrush (Artemisia nova) are preferred mule deer browse. Medusahead has established in some dwarf sagebrush communities, and the invasion of such sites by medusahead has increased the incidence of wildfire as reduced cover of dwarf sagebrushes. These sites had previously been considered "fireproof" because of reduced herbaceous vegetation caused by excessive grazing [22].

PALATABILITY:

NUTRITIONAL VALUE:

COVER VALUE:

OTHER USES AND VALUES:

MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS:

A healthy stand of perennial vegetation appears to be the best barrier to medusahead invasion [27]. Medusahead invasions are most common on ranges in poor condition. Poor grazing management practices may accelerate the rate of spread, but proper management alone may not prevent invasion [40]. Cultivated areas are susceptible to invasion by medusahead, especially old fields. Livestock avoid medusahead when more palatable forage is available, leading to an abundance of soil-stored medusahead seed [76]. A combination of treatments including grazing, burning, mechanical manipulation, herbicide such as atrazine or glyphosate, and/or reseeding are generally necessary to reduce established stands of medusahead [21,69,72,97].

Mechanical: Spring plowing after most medusahead has germinated has given some control, with optimal results reaching 95% reduction. Besides removing weeds and preparing a seedbed for native herbs, cultivation may bury some medusahead seeds so deeply that they cannot emerge. Spring cultivation eliminates medusahead seedlings, and legumes can then be drilled at a rate of at least 10 pounds per acre [69]. It is best to sow in late autumn or early spring, using a rangeland drill if possible. Killing 2 successive crops of annual weeds helps ensure the survival of seeded species [72]. Cultivation method may not be practical in some terrain, such as the generally steep and rocky terrain of Idaho's medusahead-infested rangelands [72,97].

Grazing and fire: | Medusahead Vegetative manipulation may benefit cattle and mule deer on medusahead-dominated sites [71]. Some managers recommended grazing newly seeded areas as soon as the weeds and crop are of pasturable height, then removing livestock before the last spring rains so that the legumes can mature and produce seed. However, others state that because medusahead is "unpalatable," it is critical that newly seeded areas are not grazed until desirable species are well established [72].

Burning medusahead can destroy large amounts of seeds if the seedhead has not disseminated, reducing the stand by 60 to 95% in the next growing season [47]. A slow burn in dense medusahead stands that occur on well-developed soil profiles may reduce seed production. On less developed soil profiles where prescribed fire is not feasible, grazing livestock when plants are actively growing, herbicide treatment, reseeding, or a combination of these methods may be tried [13,71]. See the "Fire management" section of the Fire Effects section of this report for further information on controlling medusahead with prescribed fire.

Reseeding: Revegetation with natives may prevent medusahead from regaining dominance after control treatments [69]. Reseeding of treated sites should be done with species that are competitive, have high vigor, and are adapted to the area [72]. The following may be effective: bottlebrush squirreltail, bluebunch wheatgrass, intermediate wheatgrass (Elytrigia intermedia), Thurber needlegrass (Achnatherum thurberianum), needle-and-thread grass (Hesperostipa comata), Indian ricegrass (A. hymenoides), Sandberg bluegrass, and sheep fescue (Festuca ovina) [72,97,98]. Bottlebrush squirreltail may be an especially promising candidate for restoring rangeland dominated by undesirable exotic grasses such as medusahead. It germinates readily, self pollinates, rapidly reaches reproductive maturity, and is capable of growth in cool temperatures [4,59]. Bottlebrush squirreltail seedlings appear better able to store sufficient carbohydrate root reserves under competition with annuals than most other perennial grass species in the Intermountain region [52]. Bottlebrush squirreltail is also fire tolerant and has excellent seed dispersal. Since bottlebrush squirreltail typically occurs in early seres, wildfire or prescribed burns may provide opportunities for it to establish [59].

A study in Washington found that 'Secar' bluebunch wheatgrass did not successfully compete with medusahead seedlings on semiarid range sites. The perennial wheatgrass seeds germinate more slowly and the seedlings grow more slowly both in length and mass [42].

Related categories for SPECIES: Taeniatherum caput-medusae | Medusahead