Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements
This study assessed the effectiveness of four competitive pasture species—Premier digit grass (<i>Digitaria eriantha</i> Steud. var. Premier), Rhodes grass (<i>Chloris gayana</i> Kunth.), sabi grass (<i>Urochloa mosambicensis</i> Hack.), and buffel grass (<i>...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/82 |
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| author | Rashid Saleem Ali Bajwa Shane Campbell Mary T. Fletcher Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian Steve W. Adkins |
| author_facet | Rashid Saleem Ali Bajwa Shane Campbell Mary T. Fletcher Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian Steve W. Adkins |
| author_sort | Rashid Saleem |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study assessed the effectiveness of four competitive pasture species—Premier digit grass (<i>Digitaria eriantha</i> Steud. var. Premier), Rhodes grass (<i>Chloris gayana</i> Kunth.), sabi grass (<i>Urochloa mosambicensis</i> Hack.), and buffel grass (<i>Pennisetum ciliare</i> L.) against the toxic annual riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at varying planting densities and ratios. At six plants pot<sup>−1</sup>, with a 66:33 grass-to-weed ratio, riceflower biomass decreased by 73.7%, 82.5%, 73.7%, and 60.6% when grown alongside Premier digit, Rhodes, sabi, and buffel grasses, respectively. Similarly, with four plants pot<sup>−1</sup> at a 75:25 ratio, reductions were 69.1%, 79.8%, 71.0%, and 44.5%, respectively. Annual riceflower experienced the greatest suppression when grown with Rhodes grass, showing aggressivity index (AI) values of −60.2 and −67.2 and relative crowding coefficient (RCC) values of 0.4 for both six and four plants pot<sup>−1</sup>. Premier digit grass also suppressed riceflower effectively, with riceflower AI values of −35.6 and −36.7 and RCC values of 0.5 and 0.6. Buffel grass had the least impact, with riceflower AI values of −41.1 and −27.9 and RCC values of 0.9 and 2.0. Sabi grass also demonstrated good suppressive effects, though slightly less than the top two species. Higher planting densities generally resulted in stronger riceflower suppression. The results highlight the importance of considering planting density, arrangement, and key plant traits when selecting pasture species for successful weed control. Based on these findings, we conclude that Premier digit grass and Rhodes grass show promising potential for effective suppression of annual riceflower growth. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8de938f8496b41c596d449ad7e8bc943 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-8de938f8496b41c596d449ad7e8bc9432025-01-10T13:19:42ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472024-12-011418210.3390/plants14010082Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial ArrangementsRashid Saleem0Ali Bajwa1Shane Campbell2Mary T. Fletcher3Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian4Steve W. Adkins5School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaLa Trobe Institute of Sustainable Agriculture and Food (LISAF), Department of Ecological, Plant and Animal Sciences, AgriBio, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC 3086, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaQueensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, Gatton, QLD 4343, AustraliaThis study assessed the effectiveness of four competitive pasture species—Premier digit grass (<i>Digitaria eriantha</i> Steud. var. Premier), Rhodes grass (<i>Chloris gayana</i> Kunth.), sabi grass (<i>Urochloa mosambicensis</i> Hack.), and buffel grass (<i>Pennisetum ciliare</i> L.) against the toxic annual riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at varying planting densities and ratios. At six plants pot<sup>−1</sup>, with a 66:33 grass-to-weed ratio, riceflower biomass decreased by 73.7%, 82.5%, 73.7%, and 60.6% when grown alongside Premier digit, Rhodes, sabi, and buffel grasses, respectively. Similarly, with four plants pot<sup>−1</sup> at a 75:25 ratio, reductions were 69.1%, 79.8%, 71.0%, and 44.5%, respectively. Annual riceflower experienced the greatest suppression when grown with Rhodes grass, showing aggressivity index (AI) values of −60.2 and −67.2 and relative crowding coefficient (RCC) values of 0.4 for both six and four plants pot<sup>−1</sup>. Premier digit grass also suppressed riceflower effectively, with riceflower AI values of −35.6 and −36.7 and RCC values of 0.5 and 0.6. Buffel grass had the least impact, with riceflower AI values of −41.1 and −27.9 and RCC values of 0.9 and 2.0. Sabi grass also demonstrated good suppressive effects, though slightly less than the top two species. Higher planting densities generally resulted in stronger riceflower suppression. The results highlight the importance of considering planting density, arrangement, and key plant traits when selecting pasture species for successful weed control. Based on these findings, we conclude that Premier digit grass and Rhodes grass show promising potential for effective suppression of annual riceflower growth.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/82<i>Pimelea</i> managementplant competitionperennial pasturesRhodes grasscultural weed control |
| spellingShingle | Rashid Saleem Ali Bajwa Shane Campbell Mary T. Fletcher Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian Steve W. Adkins Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements Plants <i>Pimelea</i> management plant competition perennial pastures Rhodes grass cultural weed control |
| title | Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements |
| title_full | Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements |
| title_fullStr | Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements |
| title_short | Competitive Pasture Species to Suppress the Growth of Annual Riceflower (<i>Pimelea trichostachya</i> Lindl.) at Different Planting Densities and Spatial Arrangements |
| title_sort | competitive pasture species to suppress the growth of annual riceflower i pimelea trichostachya i lindl at different planting densities and spatial arrangements |
| topic | <i>Pimelea</i> management plant competition perennial pastures Rhodes grass cultural weed control |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/1/82 |
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