Bare Ground and Litter as Estimators of Runoff on Short- and Mixed-Grass Prairie

After 56 years of grazing on shortgrass prairie and 13 years of grazing on mixed-grass prairie, surface runoff was estimated with a rotating boom rainfall simulator. Runoff was strongly and positively correlated with percent bare ground, and was strongly and negatively correlated with percent litter cover. Neither foliar nor basal plant cover were useful estimators of runoff.