The following schedule is from the 72nd Annual Conference of the Southeastern Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies which was held October 21-24, 2018 in Mobile, Alabama.
AUTHORS: Joseph R. Marty, James Whitaker* – Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge*Presenting Author
ABSTRACT: We conducted a pilot study in fall 2017 to estimate above-ground moist-soil seed biomass and duck energy-days on approximately 86 ha of pastures/moist-soil wetlands on Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Cameron Parish, Louisiana. We collected data on plant species, stem count, and pressed seed heads from 50 random 1-m2 plots at five sites (n = 10 plots/site). Plants were sent to the University of Tennessee Wetlands Program for analyses. Seed-head area for each plant was scanned, and seed-head area (cm2) estimates used to predict dry seed mass (g) per plant. Pastures were dominated by Paspalum lividum (longtom) and less commonly, Echinochloa walterii (Walter’s millet), Polygonum hydropiperoides (swamp smartweed), and Cyperus odoratus (fragrant flatsedge). Seed production/plant was multiplied by plant density/m2 for each species, seed production was summed across species within a plot, and estimates were converted to kg/ha. Duck energy-day estimates were calculated using seed production, true metabolizable energy of seed, and the daily energy requirement of mallards. Seed production and duck energy-day estimates were averaged among plots, and the standard deviation and 95% confidence intervals calculated. Average moist-soil seed biomass among sites was 111 kg/ha. The pastures contained 51,480 duck energy-days and had the potential to support 468 ducks per day for 110 days. We classified this as low seed production (<200 kg/ha) and recommend investigating different management techniques such as timed drawdowns, rolling/buffaloing, disking, and herbicide use to increase moist-soil seed production.
