The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is a new and promising bioenergy crop in Central Europe. Native to North America, its cultivation in Europe has increased in recent years. Cup plant is said to be highly productive, reproductive, and strongly competitive, which could encourage invasiveness. Spontaneous spread has already been documented. Knowledge about habitat requirements is low but necessary, in order to predict sites where it could spontaneously colonize. The present experimental study investigates the growth and reproductive potential of cup plant depending on soil moisture, given as water table distance (WTD). In moist soil conditions, the growth and reproductive potential of cup plant were the highest, with about 3 m plant height, 1.5 kg dry biomass, and about 350 capitula per plant in the second growing season. These parameters decreased significantly in wetter, and especially in drier conditions. The number of shoots per plant and number of fruits per capitulum were independent of WTD. In conclusion, valuable moist ecosystems could be at risk for becoming invaded by cup plant. Hence, fields for cultivating cup plant should be carefully chosen, and distances to such ecosystems should be held. Spontaneous colonization by cup plant must be strictly monitored in order to be able to combat this species where necessary.
Die aus dem östlichen Nordamerika stammende Durchwachsene Silphie (Silphium perfoliatum) wird in Deutschland zunehmend anstelle von Mais (Zea mays) als neue Bioenergiepflanze mit vielen ökologischen Vorteilen angebaut. Aufgrund ihrer Wüchsigkeit und ihres hohen Re produktionsvermögens könnte sie jedoch ein Invasionspotenzial aufweisen. In der vorliegenden Studie wurden Spontanvorkommen der Silphie in der Umgebung bestehender Anbauflächen im Bayreuther Raum kartiert. Bei 13 der 15 untersuchten Anbauflächen wurden im 20mUmkreis insgesamt fast 3 500 spontan auftretende SilphiePflanzen dokumentiert. Die Nahausbreitungsdistanz betrug im Mittel 6 m (Median). Einzelne Individuen wurden aber auch in bis zu 700 m Entfernung zur nächsten Anbaufläche kartiert. Am häufigsten wurden Offenlandbiotope, aber auch Wälder und Gehölzstrukturen sowie Schotter und Pflasterwege besiedelt. 62 Individuen (2 %) hatten bereits einen oder mehrere Stängel und zum Teil Blüten gebildet. Ein Invasionspotenzial der Silphie kann somit bislang nicht ausgeschlossen werden.
Invasive species can be the cause of severe problems for biodiversity, economy and human health. The cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum) is native to eastern North America and is increasingly cultivated in Germany as a new bioenergy crop. Its growth characteristics and autecology do not exclude a possible invasive potential. However, there are hardly any studies on this to date. In this study, habitat requirements for spontaneous colonization and establishment of the cup plant were investigated. Therefore, a 15 m radius around eleven cup plant fields in northern Bavaria (Germany) was examined. Data on cup plant colonization, habitat type, vegetation structure, ground cover, and further site conditions using the Ellenberg indicator values were collected and analyzed by logistic regression models. Spontaneously colonized cup plants were found in a wide range of habitats. Open habitats and human settlement areas were particularly suitable, especially field margins and agricultural paths. A portion of open soil of about 25% was preferentially colonized. Cup plants occurred predominantly within the first few meters of the field margin and increasingly around cup plant fields that have existed for a longer period. Favorable for the development of stems and thus for flowering, fruiting and establishing are warmer sites with a high herb layer. Individual plants that had developed a stem persist for several years and increased their stem number over time. The number of stem-developing individuals also increased over time. Thus, there exist an enormous potential for spread in the future. However, an invasive potential could not be confirmed based on the present study, because a threat of biodiversity was not proven.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.