Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
225. Singleton, J. R. 1951. Production and utilization of waterfowl food plants
on the east Texas Gulf coast. J. Wildl. Manage. 15:46-56.
Thirteen species of waterfowl food plants were examined in the Texas Gulf coast to determine environmental factors affecting their production. These factors included water level stability, plant competition, and time of burning. Burning in February had no effect on spring growth and subsequent plant blooming and seed production of saltmarsh bulrush or smartweed. Periodic burning of sawgrass thinned stands and made the seed available to waterfowl. Burning of marsh vegetation in this area should be delayed in the fall until waterfowl food plants such as barnyard grass, smartweed, and seashore saltgrass have mature seed and these seeds have fallen. Late winter burning retarded the growth of sawgrass and accelerated spring growth of smartweed. [from author's abstract]