Instruct: Given a question, retrieve documents that answer the question.
Query: Is buffalo grass drought resistant?
Buffalograss is a warm-season perennial shortgrass. It is drought-, heat-, and cold-resistant. Foliage is usually 5–13cm (2.0–5.1in) high, though in the southern Great Plains, foliage may reach 30cm (12in). Buffalograss is usually dioecious, but sometimes monoecious or with perfect flowers. Flower stalks are 10–20cm (3.9–7.9in) tall. The male inflorescence is a panicle; the female inflorescence consists of short spikelets borne in burlike clusters, usually with two to four spikelets per bur.
In this period of expansionism, one prominent figure advocating homesteading in the North West was botanist John Macoun. He undertook expeditions alongside Sir Sanford Fleming in the 1880s during which he had the chance to look at the ostensibly uncultivatable Palliser's Triangle. It turns out that Palliser saw the region in a state of drought during which ample buffalo herds were grazing the grass shorter. He also bore witness to a number of grass fires, all of which gave the impression of an inhospitable desert. Macoun, on the other hand, found the region in a major wet period after a severe decline in animal life in no small part due to the overhunting of bison. This skewed his perspective to the exact opposite of Palliser's assessment: where Palliser could be said to have underestimated the agricultural capacity of the Triangle, Macoun could be said to have overestimated it, as evidenced by both the region's production and its frequent and sometimes devastating droughts.
The 2016 New York Drought was by some measures the worst drought to affect Western New York and parts of the Finger Lakes Region and Southern Tier on record. By the middle of July, the percent of the state by area that was in a D-2 (Severe Drought) according to the United States Drought Monitor was 23.01%, the greatest amount since the weekly reports began in 2000. Nearly 90% of the state was classified as "Abnormally Dry" or "Moderate Drought". For reference, none of the state has ever been placed in D-3 (Extreme Drought). Furthermore, "The Buffalo News" reported on July 22 that it had become the worst drought in the Buffalo area since their main weather station opened in 1943.
Farrant is currently investigating the potential of turning eragrostis tef, an annual grass, into just such a crop. Eragrostis tef seeds are a high-protein staple food in Ethiopia, and it is closely related to a drought-resistant resurrection grass. According to Farrant, "[i]n the same way that humans have bred plant species together over the centuries to create oats, maize and wheat, so too can we breed desiccation-tolerant, drought-resistant crops in the Eragrostis family without having to go the genetically modified route."
"A. millefolium" can be planted to combat soil erosion due to the plant's resistance to drought. Before the arrival of monocultures of ryegrass, both grass leys and permanent pasture always contained "A. millefolium" at a rate of about 0.3 kg/ha. At least one of the reasons for its inclusion in grass mixtures was its deep roots, with leaves rich in minerals. Thus its inclusion helped to prevent mineral deficiencies in the ruminants to which it was fed.
An economic upswing in the central Chaco began in the 1980s when the agricultural co-operative, with the help of World Bank credits, invested in dairy production. The introduction of the drought- and heat-resistant buffalo grass from North America in 1955, which created the foundation of an extensive cattle industry, and the construction of the Trans-Chaco Highway to Asunción in 1965 were significant predecessors to economic growth. An important factor in the economic improvement was the reform of the school system and a general liberalisation.
Drought is one of the most serious challenges facing farmers today. With shifting climates comes shifting weather patterns, meaning that regions that could traditionally rely on a substantial amount of precipitation were, quite literally, left out to dry. In light of these conditions, drought resistance in major crop plants has become a clear priority.[53] One method is to identify the genetic basis of drought resistance in naturally drought resistant plants, i.e. the Bambara groundnut. Next, transferring these advantages to otherwise vulnerable crop plants. Rice, which is one of the most vulnerable crops in terms of drought, has been successfully improved by the addition of the Barley hva1 gene into the genome using transgenetics. Drought resistance can also be improved through changes in a plant's root system architecture,[54] such as a root orientation that maximizes water retention and nutrient uptake. There must be a continued focus on the efficient usage of available water on a planet that is expected to have a population in excess of nine-billion people by 2050.
Texas Tech's College of Agricultural Science and Natural Resources has received state and federal grants for research projects including the fiber properties of cotton, the antibacterial properties of cotton fabric, and the development of chemical-warfare protective fabrics. The college has also created two grass variants, Shadow Turf, a drought-tolerant turf grass that thrives in shade, and Tech Turf (marketed as Turffalo), a turf grass with the rich color and texture of Bermuda and the resilience of buffalo grass.
Texas Tech offers online and regional programs in addition to programs offered on the main campus. There are programs that are fully online, hybrid/blended, and located at regional sites. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees, as well as a graduate certification preparation program, at the regional sites of El Paso, Fredericksburg, Highland Lakes, Center at Junction, and Waco.
On May 30, 2012, a partnership was announced between 21 Florida sod producers from the Florida Sod Growers Cooperative and University of Florida turfgrass researchers. To find new and improved zoysiagrass varieties. Testing will evaluate varieties for their resistance to disease, response to drought and shade, their ability to retain color in cooler weather, and their resistance to pests such as billbug, armyworm and sod webworm. The program expects to have new grasses ready by 2017.
In planning a yard and garden space, it is most sustainable to consider the plants, soil, and available water. Drought resistant shrubs, plants, and grasses require a smaller amount of water in comparison to more traditional species. Additionally, native plants (as opposed to herbaceous perennials) will use a smaller supply of water and have a heightened resistance to plant diseases of the area. Xeriscaping is a technique that selects drought-tolerant plants and accounts for endemic features such as slope, soil type, and native plant range. It can reduce landscape water use by 50 – 70%, while providing habitat space for wildlife. Plants on slopes help reduce runoff by slowing and absorbing accumulated rainfall. Grouping plants by watering needs further reduces water waste.
The predominant flora of the ecoregion is a thin woodland of drought-resistant "Pinus roxburghii" trees with a ground cover of thick grass, as regular fires do not allow a shrubby undergrowth to establish itself. The ground cover consists of "Arundinella setosa", cogon grass ("Imperata cylindrica") and "Themeda anathera".
Drought resistance mechanisms are genetically controlled and genes or QTL responsible for drought resistance have been discovered in several crops which opens avenue for molecular breeding for drought resistance.
Grasslands occur where there is insufficient rain to support trees, thus only grasses and a few shrubs can survive. There are three kinds of grasslands on the great plains, short grass prairie, mixed grass, and long grass prairie. In each of these, grass species serve all the keystone roles. They provide food, shelter, act as larval hosts for numerous species and acted as the primary food for buffalo. These grasses are of vital importance to the ecosystem and protect the soil from the strong winds that whip through the prairie. They are all drought resistant and have strong short roots that hold the soil in place.
It grows well in heavy soil, and is noted for its resistance to cold and drought, and thus ability to grow in dry upland or poor sandy soils. In pasture it tends to be overwhelmed by more competitive grasses. After cutting it grows slowly.
Sheep's fescue is a densely tufted perennial grass. Its greyish-green leaves are short and bristle-like. The panicles are both slightly feathery and a bit one-sided. It flowers from May until June, and is wind-pollinated. It has no rhizomes.
Sheep's fescue is a drought-resistant grass, commonly found on poor, well-drained mineral soil. It is sometimes used as a drought-tolerant lawn grass.
The great ability to adapt to poor soils is due to mycorrhizal fungi, which increase the absorption of water and nutrients and also are potential determinants of plant community structure. The symbiosis with fungi increases mineral, nitrogen and phosphate absorption, thanks to fungal hyphae that expand deeply in the soil and cover plant roots, increasing the exchange surface. The symbiosis also makes every plant interconnected with the surrounding plants, making possible the exchange of nutrients between plants far from each other.
The flora of the Simpson Desert ecoregion is limited to drought-resistant shrubs and grasses especially "Zygochloa paradoxa" grass that holds the dunes together and the spinifex and other tough grasses of sides slopes and sandy desert floor between the dunes. The Channel Country section of the ecoregion lies to the northeast of the desert proper around the towns of Bedourie and Windorah in Queensland, and consists of low hills covered with Mitchell grass cut through with rivers lined with coolabah trees. The ecoregion also includes areas of rocky upland and seasonally wet clay and salt pans, particularly Lake Eyre, the centre of one of the largest inland drainage systems in the world, including the Georgina and Diamantina Rivers.
It has been proposed that vertically transmitted symbionts should evolve to be mutualists since their reproductive fitness is intimately tied to that of their hosts. In fact, some positive effects of epichloae on their host plants include increased growth, drought tolerance, and herbivore and pathogen resistance. Resistance against herbivores has been attributed to alkaloids produced by the symbiotic epichloae. Although grass-epichloë symbioses have been widely recognized to be mutualistic in many wild and cultivated grasses, the interactions can be highly variable and sometimes antagonistic, especially under nutrient-poor conditions in the soil.
In its native range, this grass is useful as a forage for grazing animals and a groundcover for revegetating cleared land. It is very drought resistant. It is considered an indicator of rangeland damage, as it is often one of the first native species to be eliminated when an area is overgrazed.
In the Nevada "cash for grass" program, the people are paid to remove grass and put in desert landscaping. Xeriscaping calls for the planting of vegetation which is local in origin and more resistant to drought.
The 1889 book 'The Useful Native Plants of Australia’ records that common names included "Rat-tail Grass" "Chilian Grass" and that Indigenous People of the Cloncurry River area of Northern Australia called it "Jil-crow-a-berry". It also states that Sporobolus indicus is "A fine, open, pasture grass, found throughout the colonies. Its numerous penetrating roots enable it to resist severe drought. It yields a fair amount of fodder, much relished by stock, but is too coarse for sheep. The seeds form the principal food of many small birds. It has been suggested as a paper-making material."
The Great Drought is mentioned twice in issues of the Mexican publication La Colonia Espanola. One article on world affairs reported that the drought was ongoing, while the other mention of the drought is in the context of a drought-resistant tree native to the "sertão." In this context, the drought-resistant properties of the tree were the focus of the article rather than the drought itself.
The peak of Buffalo Hill is covered by grass and small shrubs, while the valleys are lush with forests. Different types of grass, including Couch grass, Bermuda Grass, Manila Grass and annual bluegrass, grow on the slopes of the hill, while the tree line ends approximately 350 metres above sea level on the slopes of the hill.
Cultivars of this grass include 'South African Robusta Blue', 'Witbank', 'Ermelo', 'Kromarrai', 'American Leafy', and 'Renner'. Cultivars may be selected for yield, palatability for livestock, and drought resistance. It is planted along waterways in Sri Lanka and mountainsides in Japan, and it is used for oversowing fields in Argentina. In the United States it is often planted alongside Korean lespedeza. It is planted as a nurse crop for sericea lespedeza, coastal panic grass, and switchgrass.
In short grass prairie there are two dominant plants, buffalo grass ("Bouteloua dactyloides"), is a strong and hardy grass that is the favorite of grazers. The second is blue grama ("Bouteloua gracilis"), which is essential for soil retention. In tallgrass prairie there are four dominant species, big bluestem grass ("Andropogen gerardii"), Indian grass ("Sorghastrum nutans"), switch grass ("Panicum virgatum"), and little bluestem ("Schizachyrium scoparium"). Big bluestem grass is 4–8 feet tall and was the favorite food of the buffalo.
The southern whiteface is endemic to Australia and typically inhabits arid open woodlands with a shrubby or grassy understory, as well as grass plains throughout much of the continents south. Not present in Tasmania or in coastal areas of the mainland, this species prefers "Acacia" woodlands, particularly those dominated by mulga and drought-resistant chenopod shrub species, including saltbush and bluebush. They are considered sedentary; however, atlas records indicate that individuals may move into wetter areas outside of their normal range during drought years.