Estimación De La Densidad De Siembra Y Costo De La Semilla De Zacate Liebrero Para La Rehabilitación De Matorrales Degradados En El Desierto De Sonora

Rothrock's Grama (Bouteloua barbata var. rothrockii) is a short-lived, native perennial plant that is an important component of the vegetation in the Sonoran Desert. However, there is no information indicating its seed production potential, seed quality, recommended planting density, or potential seed cost. This study was conducted by collecting data from three cattle ranches in central Sonora to evaluate the productive characteristics of the grass. Density, height, cover, forage production, and seed production were determined. Additionally, the planting density for the species and its approximate cost based on live pure seed were calculated. Plant density and forage production of Rothrock’s grama are highly variable between sites and years of evaluation. Plant density ranged from 5.24 to 31.44 plants/m², height from 32.5 to 84.6 cm, basal cover from 1.43 to 1.85%, dry forage yield from 47 to 945 kg DM/ha, and seed yield from 0.96 to 1.25 kg raw seed/ha. Germination, the percentage of live pure seed, the number of dormant seed in the samples, and the calculation for determining the species' planting density were estimated following the guidelines of the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States Department of Agriculture. Seed costs were estimated based on current prices for other perennial grama grass species of the genus Bouteloua, obtained from various seed companies in Mexico and the United States. The results show that the recommended planting density for the species is 0.57 kg pure live seed/ha and that the cost for the purchase of seed is $587.77 pesos per hectare.