The suppressive potential of some grass species on the growth and development of Ambrosia artemisiifolia
Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asteraceae: EPPO List of Invasive Alien Plants) is a North American native species and an alien species in Europe. It competes strongly with crop plants for water and nutrients. It rapidly impoverishes the soil. It can reduce yields of cereals and other field crops (e.g. sunflower), and causes problems in harvesting. Its presence greatly reduces the fodder quality of meadows and pastures (it is not palatable to livestock), and taints dairy products if cattle feed on it. In addition, the pollen of A. artemisiifolia is strongly allergenic in man, causing serious 'hay fever' in infested areas. The aim of the current study was to test the suppressive potential of some perennial grasses on the growth and seed production of A. artemisiifolia. Both greenhouse and outdoor pot trials were conducted with different combinations of the grass species– Lolium perenne, Dactylis glomerata and Phleum pratense. Fresh weight of biomass per plot, height of plants and the number of A. artemisiifolia plants were recorded three times in 2010–2011 in the greenhouse experiments and four times in 2011–2012 in the outdoor trials. At the end of each vegetation season, the seeds of A. artemisiifolia in each pot were collected and counted. The results showed that all three grass species can effectively suppress the growth and seed formation in A. artemisiifolia, but L. perenne developed more rapidly from the first year, and thus expressed its suppressive capacity earlier than the other two species. The study offers an effective means for control of A. artemisiifolia in waste lands and disturbed areas by combining the use of competitive perennial tuft-forming grasses and discontinued soil disturbance.
Sources
Vladimirov V, Valkova M, Maneva S, Milanova S (2017) The suppressive potential of some grass species on the growth and development of Ambrosia artemisiifolia. Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science 23(2), 274–279.