Effectiveness of Milorganite® as a Repellent to Protect Ornamental and Agronomic Plants From Deer Over-Browsing
Data(s) |
01/01/2005
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Resumo |
When deer populations become locally overabundant, browsing of ornamental and agronomic plants negatively affects plant establishment, survival, and productivity. Milorganite® is a slow-release, organic fertilizer produced from human sewage. We tested Milorganite® as a deer repellent on chrysanthemums (Chrysanthemums morifolium) in an urban/suburban environment, and soybeans (Gycine max) in a rural agriculture environment. Six beds of chrysanthemums at two sites were monitored for 28 to 35 days. Treatment plants received a top dressing of 104 grams of Milorganite® (1120.9 kg/ha). Milorganite® treated plants had more (P < 0.001) terminal buds and achieved greater height (P < 0.002) compared to controls at one site, however damage observed was similar at the second site. In a second experiment, 0.2-ha plots of soybeans (Glycine max) were planted on five rural properties in northeastern Georgia and monitored for ≥ 30 days. Treated areas received 269 kg/ha of Milorganite®. In 4 of 5 sites, Milorganite® delayed browsing on treated plants from 1 week to > 5 weeks post-planting. Duration of the protection appeared to be related to the difference in deer density throughout most of the study areas. Results of this study indicate Milorganite® has potential use as a deer repellent. |
Formato |
application/pdf |
Identificador |
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/icwdm_wdmconfproc/103 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1105&context=icwdm_wdmconfproc |
Publicador |
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln |
Fonte |
Wildlife Damage Management Conferences -- Proceedings |
Palavras-Chave | #Environmental Sciences |
Tipo |
text |