Login | Request Account (DAF staff only)

Managing an Invasive Weed Species, Parthenium hysterophorus, with Suppressive Plant Species in Australian Grasslands

Share this record

Add to FacebookAdd to LinkedinAdd to XAdd to WechatAdd to Microsoft_teamsAdd to WhatsappAdd to Any

Export this record

View Altmetrics

Belgeri, A., Bajwa, A. A., Shabbir, A., Navie, S., Vivian-Smith, G. and Adkins, S. (2020) Managing an Invasive Weed Species, Parthenium hysterophorus, with Suppressive Plant Species in Australian Grasslands. Plants, 9 (11). p. 1587. ISSN 2223-7747

[img]
Preview
PDF
1MB

Article Link: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants9111587

Publisher URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/9/11/1587

Abstract

Parthenium weed has been invading native and managed Australian grasslands for almost 40 years. This study quantified the potential of selected plant mixtures to suppress the growth of parthenium weed and followed their response to grazing and their impact upon plant community diversity. The first mixture consisted of predominantly introduced species including Rhodes grass, Bisset bluegrass, butterfly pea and green panic. This mixture produced biomass rapidly and showed tolerance to weed species other than parthenium weed. However, the mixture was unable to suppress the growth of parthenium weed. The second mixture of predominantly native pasture species (including forest bluegrass, Queensland bluegrass, Buffel grass and siratro) produced biomass relatively slowly, but eventually reached the same biomass production as the first mixture 12 weeks after planting. This mixture suppressed parthenium weed re-establishment by 78% compared to the control treatment. Its tolerance to the invasion of other weed species and the maintenance of forage species evenness was also superior. The total diversity was five times higher for the mixture communities as compared to the plant community in the control treatment. Therefore, using the suppressive pasture mixtures may provide an improved sustainable management approach for parthenium weed in grasslands.

Item Type:Article
Business groups:Biosecurity Queensland
Additional Information:Open access PDF attached
Subjects:Science > Invasive Species > Plants > Eradication and containment
Science > Invasive Species > Plants > Integrated weed control
Science > Invasive Species > Plants > Weed ecology
Plant pests and diseases > Weeds, parasitic plants etc
Live Archive:30 Nov 2020 07:40
Last Modified:03 Sep 2021 16:46

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics