The Current Research on Ventenata Control By Ian McGregor Oregon State University, Assistant Professor (Practice) of Livestock & Irrigation, Klamath County
You may have heard of invasive grasses like Cheat-
grass (Bromus Tectorum) and Medusahead (Taeniatherum Caput-Medusae). They are not very palatable for livestock and are also very difficult to control. To make matters worse, there is another species we can add to that list; Ventenata (Ventenata Dubia). Ventenata is a winter annual grass that is native to northern Africa and southern Europe. It was discovered in the state of Washington in the 1950’s and has only become a concern as an invasive grass about 15 years ago. Another common name for Ventenata is Wire Grass. This refers to the wiry texture of the grass, making it notably unpalatable for livestock. The disadvantages of this invasive annual grass don’t end there. It is also a fine fuel concern that greatly increases wildfire risk, it has a very shallow root system that will lead to erosion, and it can also host Barley Yellow Dwarf virus which can be detrimental to cereal crops. It is also incredibly invasive. The real issue is how quickly it invades rangelands, but it is also very capable of outcompeting rhizomatous perennials in irrigated pastures.
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It is important that we understand control options in an effort to get ahead of this issue. Since it has not been a real issue until recent years, there has not been a whole lot of research done on controlling Ventenata. However, the rest of this article will summarize some of the research that does exist to help increase awareness of how the control strategies that have been attempted affect this grass.
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It is important to understand the life cycle of the undesirable species you are trying to control because different control methods have varying degrees of effectiveness when applied at different maturity stages of the plant. Germination of this winter annual begins in October while temperatures range between 47-84 degrees, and 50-95 percent seedling emergence will have occurred by the time winter dormancy is induced by temperature decreasing below 44 degrees. CONTINUED PAGE 32...
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