Weed control an important factor in wildlife management

By MANDY SPIKES | Central Texas Edition

"It's important to know what wildlife is around the area when deciding on weed control," Butler told participants. -Staff photo by Spikes

November 6, 2003 -- Landowners must constantly be aware of what they are doing to their land in order to help the wildlife around them. One of the most important aspects is maintaining a food source for these animals. A problem that can arise, due to lack of education and awareness, is to have a large amount of weeds around, which can cause problems for both the landowner and the wildlife in the area.

Dr. Twain Butler, Extension agronomist, discussed the need of weed control on wildlife food plots during the Pesticide Use and Management Seminar held Oct. 27 in Hearne.

"It's important to know what wildlife is around the area when deciding on weed control," Butler said. "The weed control will be different if you are dealing with deer versus dealing with gamebirds."

He explained that you must determine what type of forage is needed, as well as the quality to use. "Remember that different forages have different nutrient requirements to meet the needs of different wildlife."

He stated that legumes are of the highest quality, therefore, landowners that utilize this food source usually draw the best quality animal. One reason, Butler stated, is because "Legumes have the unique ability to fix nitrogen in a plant.

"Bermudagrass is worthless for deer. When you grow legumes around your area, it will fix the nitrogen in the grass. Then you can use bermudagrass for both beef cattle and for deer."

Butler also stressed the importance of inoculation, which means adding bacteria to the seeds. "Most seed companies are coming out with a pre-inoculant, which has been added prior to the purchase of the seeds.

"Keep in mind though, that this means you are only using half of the seed purchased. The other half has the inoculant. It's important to look at the label before you buy the seeds to make sure you have the right inoculant."

He said that crimson clover was the most preferred winter season legume species for overseeding bermudagrass. "It will be around during the months of February till April. It will then flower around late April.

"Another popular species is the arrowleaf clover. These type of clovers do a better job on clay soils." Caley pea, which works well on both high pH and low pH levels of soil, are more tolerant of water. According to Butler, this type of species likes extra water.

"The species that has the most potential but is used the least as of now is the rose clover. When we looked at the nutrient value, we realized that it does really well."

One species that has been recently used and has a lot of potential is the ball clover, Butler said. "We looked at 21 legumes to see how consistent they are with their yield data. What we found was that the Caley pea and rose clover had the most potential.

"The top three wintertime legume species that I recommend using are the rose clover, Caley pea, and sweetclover. I want to add that Caley pea should not be used with horses."

Warm season legumes that Butler stated were good were: alfalfa, soybeans, and cowpeas.

"The biggest question that I am asked is which variety of alfalfa should a landowner plant. There is no significant difference on the different varieties of alfalfa. The type you use depends on the cost of the seed and how you will manage it after you till the soil. I recommend that you pick one and manage accordingly."

Another summertime species that he discussed was soybeans. "You can select the variety to use in order to clean up your plots. When you use Roundup, you can always go back to that plot and plant another type of crop."

Weed control is necessary, Butler explained. "It's imperative that weeds be controlled prior to establishment."