Vegetation response in field margins managed for northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) and potential negative impacts of bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

Declining northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) (bobwhite) populations in Georgia led to the establishment of the Bobwhite Quail Initiative (BQI), a state-funded incentive program aimed at increasing habitat for bobwhites in agricultural landscapes. One of the key management techniques was establishment of linear field margins around row-crop fields using winter disking. I surveyed these field margins for composition of subsequent vegetation and found that invasive and exotic grasses were pervasive. I tested two herbicides, Fusion and Select 2EC, to control bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) within constraints of the program. The single grass-specific herbicide application was ineffective at slowing bermudagrass encroachment. I also tested potential effects of bermudagrass on quail brood habitat and found that it acted as a heat trap by creating areas with temperatures above critical thresholds for bobwhite. The high density of bermudagrass patches was a mechanical barrier to bobwhite chick movement. Both of these findings lend support to anecdotal observations of the negative effects of bermudagrass on bobwhite brood habitat.