RESPONSE OF SMOOTH BROME (BROMUS-INERMIS LEYSS) TO BURNING UNDER VARYING SOIL-MOISTURE CONDITIONS

We used a field-based, prescribed-watering, 4-treatment experiment to examine the response of smooth brome (Bromus inermis Leyss.) to a late spring burn in a tallgrass prairie remnant under conditions of varying soil moisture. Smooth brome decreased 17.0% +/- 3.9 SE in the burned, high-water treatment, decreased 8.2% +/- 3.1 in the burned, low-water treatment, increased 10.5% +/- 2.9 in the unburned, high-water treatment, and increased 11.7% +/- 4.2 in the unburned, low-water treatment. The decreases in the two burned treatments were significantly different but the increases in the unburned treatments were not. Smooth brome decreases in the high-water, burned treatments and increases in the low-water, unburned treatments were significantly larger in plots with smaller initial smooth brome biomass. We discuss several implications of this study for management of natural areas to control smooth brome.