Forage adaptability trials for forage and seed production in Bolivia; effect of 5 herbicides on 7 native Utah forbs

Abstract

The harsh environmental and poor economic conditions of the Bolivian Altiplano require intervention to assist many of those that live there to become economically self-sufficient. We attempted to find introduced dry season reserve forage grasses that could produce enough biomass to be useful as feed for livestock, and that could also produce enough seed to distribute to farmers. While some of the grasses produced reasonable amounts of biomass, none produced seed in quantities that would be even close to being economically viable. The most likely cause of this is that the timing of resources that the grasses need to flower is very different between Bolivia and the areas from which the grasses originally came. We concluded that either the conditions under which the grasses are grown would need to be changed (i.e., earlier irrigation), or pre-adapted native species should be used.

Citation

Voss, Joshua. 2006. Forage adaptability trials for forage and seed production in Bolivia; effect of 5 herbicides on 7 native Utah forbs. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University. 86. p. Thesis.