“IMMIGRANT” FORAGE KOCHIA
(Kochia prostrata)
“Immigrant” Forage Kochia, (Kochia prostrata) has received much attention in the past few years. It’s name is misleading, some believe it is an invasive, aggressive invader like annual kochia (Kochia scoparia) that will take over croplands, roadsides and disturbed sites throughout the U.S. Forage Kochia has been proven to be an adapted, highly palatable forage species for livestock and wildlife. It is competitive with cheatgrass and much more fire resistant. It provides diversity and cover when seeded with Crested Wheatgrass.
Due to the ever more prevalent wildfires, the Intermountain West has several million acres of rangeland that is dominated by cheatgrass and other annuals; and this acreage is expanding every year. Many rangeland managers believe that if given time and protection from grazing, native grasses would again re-populate and dominate cheatgrass infested areas. But unfortunately, on low elevation rangelands that were mostly comprised of Wyoming Big Sage before burning, cheatgrass has remained the dominant plant. Forage Kochia can be an important tool for competing with cheatgrass, providing forage and habitat diversity for wildlife & livestock, and in helping to control wildfire.
The Key Differences Between Forage Kochia and Annual Kochia
Forage Kochia is a perennial shrub and belongs to a group of plants that have many valuable arid and rangeland species like saltbush and winter fat. Forage Kochia does not establish in a site unless specifically planted, with little to no movement outside of the area of establishment. It is readily consumed by livestock and wildlife.
Annual kochia is an annual weed, it establishes in disturbed sites throughout the United States. It invades millions of acres of cropland. It is rarely found on rangelands unless the area has been completely reduced to bare soil. Annual kochia is not a preferred forage plant for livestock or wildlife.
Forage Kochia is an Excellent Forage Plant
Forage Kochia makes excellent feed for both wildlife and livestock. During winter months or dry seasons the protein content of grass drops below the typical 8% level required by most animals. Shrubs such as Forage Kochia are generally higher in protein than grasses. The protein in Forage Kochia runs from 8-14% depending on the time of year. Its protein level peaks in August around 14.7% and drops to a low of 8.9% in March. Between August & March is when grasses are at their lowest protein levels, so Forage Kochia used with grasses during this time period can complement the nutritional levels required by livestock.
Forage Kochia is palatable to livestock all year long. A study comparing the winter diets of sheep grazing Forage Kochia and Crested Wheatgrass, and Winterfat and Crested Wheatgrass found forage kochia amounted to 51.1 percent of the diet the first year and 44.6 percent of the diet on the second year. Winterfat which is a well known highly palatable shrub, was 27% and 19% of the diet in each of the years. In part the higher consumption of Forage Kochia can be explained by the greater amount of forage produced by Forage Kochia, but it also shows its high palatability. As long as there are adequate amounts of Forage Kochia available, it will provide enough protein to meet the needs of grazing animals during the late season.
Studies have shown that forage kochia begins growth at very cool temperatures and thus photosynthesizes at the same time of year as cheatgrass, providing direct competition for limited water sources. In the Dunphy Hills area (Elko BLM District) Forage Kochia was seeded with other grasses and shrub in a degraded rangeland that is considered “critical” winter habitat for mule deer. The first year after seeding annual plants still dominated, but there was Forage Kochia evident. Forage Kochia becomes a stronger part of the plant complex and after 4 years Wyoming Big Sage, Thickspike Wheatgrass, and other native bunchgrasses and forbs were more and more visible. The result of this is that mule deer fawn ratios have increased in recent years.
Forage Kochia Replacing Cheatgrass on Rangelands
Cheatgrass is a winter annual. If it receives enough moisture it will germinate in the fall or winter. If it doesn’t get enough moisture during those months, it will germinate in early spring. Cheatgrass grows very quickly in the spring, uses available water, forms seeds and then dries out in early summer. The mature seeds are dropped on the ground and are ready to grow with enough moisture. Cheatgrass can start growth earlier in the spring than the natives can which results in cheatgrass out-competing the seedlings of perennial plants on the low precipitation/elevation rangelands.
Fire is a recurring event on many rangelands due to the cheatgrass. On a native range fires burn every 50-110 years but a cheatgrass invaded range will burn every 3-5 years. This constant burning eliminates the range of woody plant species and decreases perennial forbs and grasses.
Cheatgrass offers a very limited grazing season for livestock and wildlife as well. Its seeds produce stiff awns that make the plant unpalatable once the seed has dried. The palatability of cheatgrass lasts only 4-5 weeks and it provides a very brief grazing season for livestock and wildlife.
Forage Kochia has been found to be extremely competitive on cheatgrass ranges and is one of the few plants found that can be seeded on cheatgrass ranges, establish itself, and over time out-compete cheatgrass.
