Effects of litter on seedling establishment in natural and semi‐natural grasslands: a meta‐analysis

Loydi, Alejandro; Eckstein, R. Lutz; Otte, Annette; Donath, Tobias W.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12033

Cited by 184 publications

(208 citation statements)

References 128 publications

(267 reference statements)

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“…Flexuous bittercress and creeping woodsorrel establishment beneath rice hull mulch seem to follow the general rule of seedling establishment beneath litter proposed by Loydi et al [17]. Altland and Krause [8] speculated that gaps in the mulch barrier common with applications of 0.6 cm rice hulls were responsible for greater establishment of liverwort and bittercress; however, it is likely that lack of rice hull mass also contributes to poor control.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rice Hull Mulch Affects Germination of Bittercress and Creeping Woodsorrel in Container Plant Culture

Altland¹,

Boldt²,

Krause³

2016

AJPS

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Mulches are commonly used to control weeds in container nursery crops, especially in sites where preemergence herbicides are either not labeled or potentially phytotoxic to the crop. Parboiled rice hulls have been shown to provide effective weed control when applied 1.25 to 2.5 cm deep over the container substrate surface. The objective of this research was to determine if weed seed placement, above or below the mulch layer, affects flexuous bittercress or creeping woodsorrel establishment. Seeds of both species were placed either above or below rice hull mulch layers 0, 0.6, 1.3, or 2.5 cm deep in nursery containers with a 80 pine bark: 20 sphagnum peat moss substrate. Establishment of both weeds decreased with increasing mulch depth. Establishment of both species was generally greater from beneath the mulch compared to when seed were applied above the mulch. Light penetration through varying depths of rice hulls was determined with a spectroradiometer. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) decreased exponentially with increasing rice hull depth, and was less than 1 µmol•m −2•s −1 beneath depths greater than 1 cm. Germination of both species was determined in Petri dishes placed beneath varying densities of shade cloth. Flexuous bittercress germination responded quadratically to decreasing light level, but still germinated (13%) in complete darkness after 3 weeks. Creeping woodsorrel germination was not affected by light level and was high (92%) after 3 weeks. The role of light exclusion by rice hulls as a mechanism for controlling buried weed seed is discussed. Water retention immediately after irrigation, and for 24 hr following irrigation, was determined for a 2.5 cm layer of rice hulls, sphagnum peat moss, and pine bark. Rice hulls retained less water, and dried more quickly than peat moss or pine bark. The volumetric water content of the rice hull layer is less than 0.20 cm•cm −1 and what has been shown necessary for plant growth. Lack of water availability in the rice hull layer is discussed as the primary mechanism of control of weed seed above the mulch layer.How to cite this paper: Altland, J.E., Boldt,

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rice Hull Mulch Affects Germination of Bittercress and Creeping Woodsorrel in Container Plant Culture

Altland¹,

Boldt²,

Krause³

2016

AJPS

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“…The existing research also focuses on natural vegetation rather than plantations. Currently, studies examining litter effects on seedling emergence and growth have mainly focused on natural forests, old fields, grasslands, and riparian vegetation [24,34,[41][42][43][44]. In Chinese fir plantations, few studies have examined the chemical effects on seedling emergence and growth [45,46] and to the best of our knowledge, no studies are available on the physical effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Excessive Accumulation of Chinese Fir Litter Inhibits Its Own Seedling Emergence and Early Growth—A Greenhouse Perspective

Liu

Daryanto

Wang

et al. 2017

Forests

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Litter accumulation can strongly influence plants' natural regeneration via both physical and chemical mechanisms, but the relative influence of each mechanism on seedling establishment remains to be elucidated. Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) is one of the most important commercial plantations in southern China, but its natural regeneration is poor, possibly due to its thick leaf litter accumulation. We used natural and plastic litter to study the effects of Chinese fir litter on its own seedling emergence and early growth, as well as to assess whether the effect is physical or chemical in nature. Results showed that high litter amount (800 g·m −2 ) significantly reduced seedling emergence and the survival rate for both natural and plastic litter. Low litter amount (200 g·m −2 ) exerted a slightly positive effect on root mass, leaf mass, and total mass, while high litter amount significantly inhibited root mass, leaf mass, and total mass for both natural and plastic litter. Root-mass ratio was significantly lower, and leaf-mass ratio was significantly greater under high litter cover than under control for both natural and plastic litter. Although the root/shoot ratio decreased with increasing litter amount, such effect was only significant for high litter treatment for both natural and plastic litter. Seedling robustness (aboveground biomass divided by seedling height) decreased with increasing litter amount, with high litter treatment generating the least robust seedlings. Because plastic and natural litter did not differ in their effects on seedling emergence and growth, the litter layer's short-term influence is primarily physical. These data indicated that as litter cover increased, the initial slightly positive effects on seedling emergence and early growth could shift to inhibitory effects. Furthermore, to penetrate the thick litter layer, Chinese fir seedlings allocated more resources towards stems and aboveground growth at the expense of their roots. This study provided experimental evidence of litter amount as a key ecological factor affecting seedling development and subsequent natural regeneration of Chinese fir.

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“…Indeed, the larger a tussock is, the less resource (water, mineral nutrients, light) becomes available because the local tiller density increases, which likely increases competition between tillers and decreases the capacity to grow new tillers. In comparison to the mid‐season fire, the absence of fire can also be detrimental to tussock growth as shown by Garnier and Dajoz () or Loydi, Eckstein, Otte, and Donath (). As proposed by these authors, the accumulation of unburned litter could reduce the growth of seedlings that have lower access to light.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Effect of fire regimes on the demographic parameters of the perennial tussock grasses of a humid savanna

Koffi

N’Dri

Lata

et al. 2019

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Perennial tussock grasses represent the principal fuel source for savanna fires; however, basic information about the impact of fire on their demography remains scarce. Do dominant perennial grass species differ in their demographic parameters? What is the overall impact of tussock circumference and fire regimes on grass demographic parameters? Do grass species differ in the sensitivity of their demographic parameters to fire regimes and tussock circumference? Location The study site is located in the savanna of the Lamto reserve, in the center of Ivory Coast (6°9′ to 6°18′ N, 5°15′ to 4°57′ E). Methods Data on the nine dominant species of tussock grasses were sampled over one year under four fire treatments (early fire, mid‐season fire, late fire and no fire). We studied the impact of these fire treatments and tussock circumference on five demographic parameters: mortality, fragmentation (the division of a tussock into several smaller ones), growth, retrogression (the decrease in tussock size) and fecundity. Results All demographic parameters varied among species and across the fire regimes. Late fire had the largest negative effect on all parameters except fecundity. Schizachyrium platyphyllum was the most disadvantaged species by fire in terms of mortality, retrogression and growth, whilst Andropogon ascinodis was the most prone to fragmentation. Hyparrhenia smithiana and Sorghastrum bipennatum produced the most seeds and Brachiaria brachylopha produced the most new tussocks. The circumference of perennial grasses impacted all demographic parameters. Small individuals had the highest mortality and growth rates, while large individuals showed the highest fragmentation and retrogression rates, and produced the most seeds. Conclusions This study showed that perennial grass species differed in their sensitivity to fire treatments. Nevertheless, the mid‐season fire could be advised to managers for the sustainable management of the Lamto savanna.

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Effects of litter on seedling establishment in natural and semi‐natural grasslands: a meta‐analysis

Cited by 184 publications

References 128 publications

Rice Hull Mulch Affects Germination of Bittercress and Creeping Woodsorrel in Container Plant Culture

Rice Hull Mulch Affects Germination of Bittercress and Creeping Woodsorrel in Container Plant Culture

Excessive Accumulation of Chinese Fir Litter Inhibits Its Own Seedling Emergence and Early Growth—A Greenhouse Perspective

Effect of fire regimes on the demographic parameters of the perennial tussock grasses of a humid savanna

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