Restoring a native grass to reduce farm runoff in the Watsonville Sloughs

Reestablishing native biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems is increasingly viewed as an opportunity to restore some of the ecological functions of farmscapes. In California, resource managers recommend planting the native grass Creeping Wild Rye (Leymus triticoides) on farm margins as vegetated filter strips to stabilize soils and reduce polluted runoff.; This study assessed effects of three planting treatments on L. triticoides establishment and farm runoff volume, sediment and nutrient load. Results indicated that planting high-density plugs (9/m 2) established greater L. triticoides cover than did direct seeding (p < 0.001; n=8), and both surpassed low-density plugs (4/m2).; Seeding, however, tended to prevent runoff (p = 0.055) and reduce sediment and nutrient concentrations in runoff better than plugs or unplanted controls. This study suggests that broadcast seeding is the most cost-effective and practical strategy for establishing Leymus triticoides filter strips, and such plantings may indeed reduce pollution while increasing farm biodiversity.