Hostname: page-component-76d6cb85b7-f97m6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-07-09T22:39:55.673Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
Accepted manuscript

Long-term responses of wild licorice in native grassland to herbicides and mowing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 June 2026

Lisa Raatz
Affiliation:
Rangeland Research Institute Program Coordinator; Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Kara Wowk
Affiliation:
Summer Research Technician, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Fiona Borst
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Students, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Azul Chavez
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Students, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Solomiya Kucharyshyn
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Students, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Megan Yep
Affiliation:
Undergraduate Students, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Edward W. Bork*
Affiliation:
Professor and Mattheis Chair in Rangeland Ecology & Management, Dept. of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
*
Author for correspondence: Edward W. Bork, ebork@ualberta.ca; 410 Agriculture/Forestry Center, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Accessibility of Accepted Manuscripts

Accepted Manuscripts are early, peer-reviewed versions that have not yet been copyedited, typeset, or formally published and may not meet all accessibility standards. A fully formatted accessible version will follow.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the 'Save PDF' action button.

Wild licorice is increasing in abundance across sandy grasslands of the Canadian Prairies, yet little is known about how to manage this plant. We conducted two field studies documenting the long-term impact of different herbicides applied one-time in either spring or summer, and annual mowing in either spring or summer, on the abundance of wild licorice for up to five growing seasons (2016-20). Herbicides led to variable reductions in licorice density and biomass between sites and over time, with the greatest reductions coinciding with summer rather than spring herbicides during the first two years post-treatment. Greater and more consistent decreases were evident from the application of aminopyralid and aminocyclopyrachlor, although all herbicides, including dicamba and 2,4-D, exhibited some suppression of licorice out to four years after treatment. Reductions in wild licorice also varied with growing conditions, as drought reduced licorice biomass across all treatments, including the non-treated control. Unlike herbicides, annual mowing, particularly in summer (late July; 9-10 leaf stage), increased wild licorice total annual biomass produced for up to two growing seasons, coincident with above-normal rainfall. With the onset of drought in year three, mowing effects dissipated and did not reappear through year five. Finally, while initially effective in reducing wild licorice, hand-pulling effects on licorice were short-lived, and the selective removal of neighboring herbs led to an increase in licorice during drought. Overall, these results highlight the challenge of managing wild licorice populations in grasslands and provide insight into the strategies that may aid the management of this species.

Information

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Weed Science Society of America