Bracken litter as mulch: glasshouse evaluation of phytotoxicity

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 161 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Taylor ◽  
J. A. Thomson
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Early Growth ◽  
Mineral Nutrients ◽  
Leaf Number ◽  
White Mustard ◽  
Conflicting Evidence ◽  
Germination And Growth

Summary. Austral bracken (Pteridium esculentum) has a major impact on forestry and the pastoral industries in Australia and New Zealand, as does P. aquilinum in parts of the northern hemisphere. There is a large body of, often conflicting, evidence on the toxicity of P. aquilinum to growth of other plants but there is little evidence for P. esculentum. Control of bracken is currently expensive and difficult to maintain as there is neither a marketable product based on bracken, nor a significant use for it on site. Current interest in commercial uses for bracken as mulch or compost requires analysis of the effects of bracken fronds on germination and growth of a representative range of plants. We report the effects of a mulch of chopped recently-dead (standing) bracken fronds on germination and early growth (to 9 or 12 weeks) of white mustard (Sinapis alba), of the improved pasture species, white clover (Trifolium repens) and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), and of 2 native woodland species brown barrel (Eucalyptus fastigata) and yellow teatree (Leptospermum polygalifolium). A control mulch was prepared from chopped recently-dead bracken fronds by boiling and washing to extract possible allelochemicals and destroy associated microbiota. Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%). Shoot length of perennial ryegrass and brown barrel, and leaf number and leaf size of brown barrel were more markedly enhanced (≥30%) by the application of bracken mulch. In contrast, bracken mulch reduced germination of yellow teatree to 25%, and leaf number, during early growth, to about one-third of that in the controls. The effects of bracken mulch may be due to release of active phytochemicals and mineral nutrients, with or without mediation by associated microflora including mycorrhizae. These glasshouse experiments suggest that recently-dead fronds of P. esculentum may prove a generally useful mulch, although monitoring for adverse effects on establishment and growth of particular species will be required.

Defoliation frequency and the response by white clover to increasing phosphorus supply 1. Leaf dry matter yield and plant morphology responses

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 111 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Singh ◽  
P. W. G. Sale
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Plant Morphology ◽  
Application Rate ◽  
Leaf Number ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Defoliation Frequency ◽  
P Supply

A glasshouse experiment was carried out to determine how an increasing P supply influences the growth and survival of white clover plants subjected to a range of defoliation frequencies. Treatments involved the factorial combination of P application rate (0, 30, 90, and 180 mg/pot) to a P-deficient Krasnozem soil and defoliation frequency (1, 2, or 4 defoliations over 36 days). The survival of P-deficient plants was threatened by the most frequent defoliation; their leaf area declined owing to a reduction in leaf number and individual leaf size with each successive defoliation. Increasing the P supply to 180 mg/pot reversed this downward trend as the high P plants were able to maintain leaf area by increasing leaf size and number. Increasing the frequency from 1 to 4 defoliations over the 36 days also changed the form of the leaf dry matter response to added P, from an asymptotic to a linear response. The P requirement of white clover for maximum leaf yield therefore increased under frequent defoliation. This effect was also apparent for a range of morphological measurements including stolon elongation rate, leaf area, root mass, leaf number, and stolon number, where the magnitude of the P response was consistently greater for frequently defoliated plants. Exceptions included stolon mass, which responded more to P addition under infrequent defoliation.

N transfer from white clover to perennial ryegrass, via exudation of nitrogenous compounds

Agronomie ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 23 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 503-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Paynel ◽  
Jean Bernard Cliquet
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
N Transfer ◽  
Nitrogenous Compounds

USE OF CELL AND MOLECULAR GENETIC MANIPULATION TO IMPROVE PASTURE PLANTS

1988 ◽  
pp. 67-72
Author(s):  
D.W.R. White
Keyword(s):  
Cell Culture ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Nutritional Quality ◽  
Rust Resistance ◽  
Herbicide Tolerance ◽  
Pest Resistance ◽  
Crown Rust ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pasture Plants

Cell culture and genetic engineering techniques can be used to develop improved pasture plants. To utilise these methods we have developed procedures for regenerating plants from tissue cultures of perennial ryegrass and white clover. In both, the plant genotype influences regeneration capacity. There was significant genetic variation among regenerated perennial ryegrass plants in a wide range of characteristics. Most of the regenerants were resIstant to crown rust and this trait was highly heritable. This rust resistance is being used to breed a new ryegrass cultivar. A system for introducing cloned genes into white clover is described. This capability is bemg used to incorporate genes with the potential to improve nutritional quality and pest resistance. Other possibilities for engineering genetic improvements in white clover, genes conferring herbicide tolerance and resistance to white clover mosaic virus, are briefly outlined. Keywords: Lolium perenne, Trifolium repens, cell culture, somaclonal variation, crown rust resistance, transformation, cloned genes, nutritional quality, proteinase inhibitors, Bt toxins, pest resistance, WCMV viral cross-protection, herbicide tolerance, Agrobacterium, Bacillus thuringenisis.

Pest damage to white clover and perennial ryegrass seedlings after reseeding with a slot-seeder

1982 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. O. CLEMENTS ◽  
B. R. BENTLEY ◽  
N.R.W. SQUIRES
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Pest Damage

Observations on resistance in white clover (Trifolium repens L.) to the stem nematode (Ditylenchus dipsaci (Kühn) Filipjev)

1988 ◽  
Vol 110 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Cook ◽  
D. R. Evans
Keyword(s):  
White Clover ◽  
Trifolium Repens ◽  
Significant Positive Correlation ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Nematode Reproduction ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Plant Collections ◽  
Ditylenchus Dipsaci ◽  
Trifolium Repens L ◽  
Selection For

SummaryThe expression of symptoms of stem nematode reproduction on a total of 53 white clovers (26 cultivars, 14 genepools and 13 introductions from plant collections) was studied in a series of field and glasshouse experiments. Seedlings or stolon-tip cuttings were inoculated with nematodes and the clovers classified by the proportion of plants which developed symptoms. Significant differences were found between varieties although in each test the majority was intermediate between more resistant and susceptible extremes. There was significant positive correlation between tests, in spite of different inoculation methods and different average levels of susceptibility. Very large-leaved cv. Aran was more resistant than most other clovers tested, and small-leaved cv. S. 184 was more susceptible. There was no general correlation of leaf size with reaction to stemnematode. Small-leaved cv. Pronitro was also resistant while several large-leaved cultivars were susceptible. In observations of plants exposed to nematodes over a long period, either by sequential inoculations or through perpetuating latent infections, apparently resistant plants eventually succumbed and supported nematode reproduction. It has not been determined whether this was because selection for virulence in the nematodes had occurred.

Evaluation of Oriental Mustard (Brassica juncea) Seed Meal for Weed Suppression in Turf

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 440-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T. Earlywine ◽  
Reid J. Smeda ◽  
Travis C. Teuton ◽  
Carl E. Sams ◽  
Xi Xiong
Keyword(s):  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
White Clover ◽  
Tall Fescue ◽  
Methyl Bromide ◽  
Untreated Control ◽  
Seed Meal ◽  
Mustard Seed ◽  
Annual Bluegrass ◽  
Oriental Mustard ◽  
Large Crabgrass

Oriental mustard seed meal (MSM), a byproduct generated by pressing the seed for oil, exhibits herbicidal properties. In turfgrass, soil fumigants such as methyl bromide are used to control weeds prior to renovation of turf. Environmental concerns have resulted in deregistration of methyl bromide, prompting the need for alternatives. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of MSM on the establishment of selected turfgrass weeds as well as inhibitory effects on establishment of desirable turfgrasses. Greenhouse experiments were conducted in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Missouri. MSM was amended in soil at 0, 1,350 (low), 2,350 (medium), and 3,360 kg ha−1(high) concentrations. Weed species included annual bluegrass, large crabgrass, buckhorn plantain, white clover, and common chickweed. Turfgrass species included: Rembrandt tall fescue, Evening Shade perennial rye, and Riviera bermudagrass. All species were seeded into soil amended with MSM and either tarped or left untarped. All treatments were compared to dazomet (392 kg ha−1), a synthetic standard. Plant counts and biomass of all species were recorded 4 wk after seeding. Overall, tarped treatments suppressed weed emergence 27 to 50% more compared to untarped treatments, except for large crabgrass. High rates of MSM suppressed emergence of all weeds ≥ 63%. Compared to the untreated control, the density of buckhorn plantain, white clover, and common chickweed was reduced by ≥ 42% at low rates of MSM. Biomass of buckhorn plantain, annual bluegrass, common chickweed, white clover, and large crabgrass was reduced from 37 to 99% at high rates of MSM. MSM at high rates reduced stand counts of tall fescue and perennial ryegrass up to 81% and 77% respectively, compared to the untreated control. Regardless of MSM rates or tarping, suppression of common bermudagrass emergence did not exceed 30%; tarped treatments actually increased bermudagrass emergence by 22%. The biomass for tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, and bermudagrass was reduced by 85, 68, and 10%, respectively, at high rates of MSM. For tall fescue, MSM at all rates strongly suppressed seed germination by 7 d after planting (DAP) (up to 100%), with additional germination observed through 14 DAP, but not thereafter. In both trials, dazomet completely suppressed emergence of all weeds. MSM appears to suppress emergence and growth of a number of weeds common in turf, with potential selectivity for bermudagrass.

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