Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 June 2017
The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of tebuthiuron {N-[5-(1,1-dimethylethyl)- 1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-yl]-N,N′-dimethylurea} to treat brush-infested arid rangeland under field-scale conditions. A 130-ha tract in southern New Mexico dominated by creosotebush [Larrea tridentata (Sesse & Moc. ex DC.) Coville #3 LARTR) was treated with pelleted tebuthiuron at 0.4 kg ai/ha. After the fourth season following treatment, control of creosotebush, honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr. #PRCJG), and tarbush (Flourensia cernua DC. # FLOCE) was 87, 48, and 100%, respectively. Total shrub density was reduced from 4440 plants/ha to 570 plants/ha. Grass basal area increased from 1.1 to 3.4%. The treatment did not affect forbs greatly. Total herbaceous above-ground biomass production in the fourth season after treatment was 860 kg/ha compared to 140 kg/ha on an adjacent untreated area. Perennial grass production was nearly 11-fold greater on the treated area than on the untreated area.