Home
4
Targeted Grazing
Prescriptions:
Forbs
Grasses
Woody Plants
|
Kudzu
Pueraria
montana |
|
Description:
Kudzu is a fast-growing, climbing, semi-woody
perennial vine in the pea family. The leaves are
alternate and compound, with three broad, hairy
leaflets up to 4 inches across. Leaflets may be
entire or deeply lobed. Individual flowers,
about ½ inch long, are purple, highly fragrant,
and borne in long hanging clusters. Flowering
occurs in late summer. Three to 10 hard seeds
are produced in flat, hairy, brown seed pods.
|
Photo. Jean-Marie Luginbuhl,
North Carolina State University |
Management Guidelines:
Type and Class of
Livestock:
All classes of sheep, goats, and cattle.
Grazing Objective:
Continuous grazing to remove 80% of biomass each
season.
Growth Stage for
Treatment:
Kudzu can be grazed throughout the growing
season. Frost will damage the aerial parts
without killing the plant. Livestock will
readily consume kudzu leaves and terminal stems.
Three to four years of continuous or controlled,
repeated grazing is necessary to suppress this
plant.
Potential Effectiveness:
All types of livestock consume kudzu, but cattle
have shown the greatest success in eradication.
High grazing intensity and repeated defoliation
throughout the growing season will deplete
starch reserves in tubers and weaken the plant.
Grazing intensity should be high from the start
of the grazing season to repeatedly defoliate
and weaken the kudzu vines. Grazing must be
repeated for at least three seasons to suppress
kudzu to negligible levels. Spot spraying
herbicides after the grazing treatment will kill
any residual plants. All information indicates
that grazing is the most practical method for
controlling kudzu. |
References:
Ketchersid, M.L. 2006. Kudzu? In Texas? No
way!!! Available at :http://www-aes.tamu.edu/mary/kudzu/kudzu.htm.
Accessed 12 July 2006.
Miller, J.H. 2006. Kudzu eradication and
management. Available at:
http://www.pfmt.org/standman/kudzu.htm. Accessed
12 July 2006.
Tennessee Department of Forestry. 2006 Control
of grapevines and kudzu. Available at:
http://www.tennessee.gov/agriculture/forestry/health/vines.html
Accessed 12 July 2006.
Terrill,T.H., S. Gelaye, S. Mahotiere, E.A.
Amoah, S. Miller, and W.R. Windham. 2003. Effect
of cutting date and frequency on yield and
quality of kudzu in the southern United States.
Grass and
Forage Science
58:178-183. |
|
|