Morphological and Phenological Responses of Eragrostis plana Nees and Eragrostis pilosa (L.) P. Beauv. Plants Subjected to Different Soil Moisture Conditions

Abstract

Experiments were run in a greenhouse where samples of Eragrostis pilosa and Eragrostis plana, species that infest rice crops, were subjected to three soil moisture conditions (50% of soil water retention capacity (WRC), 100% of WRC, 10 cm water depth), simulating three different environments (upland, lowland and irrigated rice farm, respectively), with the aim of studying how these conditions affect the morphology and vegetative cycle of these plants, by means of development and growth assessments. Results show that each species responds differently when subjected to varying amounts of water in the soil. Soaking the soil with 10 cm of water was the treatment that most negatively influenced the development of E. plana plants, reducing the formation of panicles per plant, as well as the aerial part dry mass. The responses of E. pilosa plants to the waterlogged environment manifested as reductions in tillering parameters, number of panicles per plant, root and aerial part dry mass, changes in flag leaf formation, and vegetative cycle increases, which allows inferring that these plants are more sensitive to hypotoxic environments. Thus, the water depth treatment is possibly what caused negative effects on the development of the study plants, which indicates that water management in irrigated rice farming is of uttermost importance for management of invasive plants.

Invasive Plant Species Distribution Is Structured by Soil and Habitat Type in the City Landscape

“…Moreover, Poland’s largest river and valley, the Vistula, is also described as the main corridor for the spread of E. multicaulis in Poland [ 37 , 56 ]. Interestingly, the species is known as a weed in rice fields, where it poses an economic problem: the plants can survive even when their roots are completely flooded [ 57 , 58 , 59 ].…”

Integrated management of tough lovegrass (Eragrostis plana Nees): associating chemical control tools and plant physiology

“…Studies conducted with the C4 physiology tough lovegrass concluded that in an environment with limited solar radiation, there is a reduction of up to 75% in the number of inflorescences compared to those in an environment without resource limitation (PEREZ, 2015). In the case of the water resource, tough lovegrass can complete its cycle even in water soaking conditions, prolonging its vegetative period; although, tillering decreases (CARLOTO et al, 2019). The opposite condition also is true.…”

Transgenerational Effect of Drought Stress and Sub-Lethal Doses of Quizalofop-p-ethyl: Decreasing Sensitivity to Herbicide and Biochemical Adjustment in Eragrostis plana

“…It is now present in more than 1,000,000 ha in Brazil's "Pampa Biome" region [3]. Some attributes of E. plana, such as elevated tillering, high seed production, synthesis of allelopathic compounds, resilience to mechanical cultivation, competitive growth, and tolerance to several stresses, contribute to its invasiveness [4][5][6].…”