Restoration of grasslands on ex-arable land using regional and commercial seed mixtures and spontaneous succession: Successional trajectories and changes in species richness

Prach, Karel; Jongepierová, Ivana; Řehounková, Klára; Fajmon, Karel

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2013.06.003

Cited by 59 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…According to Ward & Jennings (1990), bracken removal is critical to improve the re-colonization of open areas by spontaneous species and enhance the ecological parameters of the canopy. Similar results are also reported by Prach et al (2014), with particular regards to some target botanical species.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Agronomic methods for mountain grassland habitat restoration for faunistic purposes in a protected area of the northern Apennines (Italy)

Cervasio¹,

Argenti²,

Genghini³

et al. 2016

iForest

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The abandonment of pastures often leads to a remarkable deterioration of grasslands, caused by the spread of intrusive, herbaceous and woody species which reduces the general quality of pastures. Different treatments aimed at improving the grassland and enhancing the forage quality of herbaceous resources have been developed to face this problem. We report the results of a five-year experiment conducted in a protected area of central Italy (the "Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone" regional park) on an abandoned pasture inside a beech forest encroached by intrusive species (mainly bracken). We analyzed the effect on sward's specific composition and grazing value of two agronomic factors: (i) the establishment method (ploughing followed by sowing of a forage mixture versus no intervention), and (ii) the number of cuts performed on vegetation during the growing season (0, 1 or 2 cuts). Plots were arranged according to a split-split-plot experimental design with three replications, with the sampling dates as the main factor, the establishment technique as the subplot factor, and the number of cuts as the sub-subplot factor. In each plot, data were recorded once a month from June to September every year from 2006 to 2010, in order to assess the botanical composition and the quality of the sward. The main pastoral and botanical parameters of pastures were significantly affected by both cutting and sowing. Establishment by sowing significantly reduced the presence of bracken, even with no cuts, with strong effects on the qualitative value of the pasture. A single cut resulted in an efficient recovery of the pasture as compared to cutting twice, especially in sown plots. Our results confirmed that the regular and continued maintenance of the recovered areas is crucial to ensure the long-term preservation of the results achieved by the improvements.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Agronomic methods for mountain grassland habitat restoration for faunistic purposes in a protected area of the northern Apennines (Italy)

Cervasio¹,

Argenti²,

Genghini³

et al. 2016

iForest

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“…Spontaneous succession leads to sufficient results when dispersal and establishment limitations do not hinder the recolonization of target species (Öster et al, ; Prach et al, ). In our case, all sampling sites were surrounded by communities of target species, and dispersal agents were also abundant in the landscape in the form of livestock (aftermath grazing by sheep and cattle) and wild herbivores (hares and deer).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most straightforward method is sowing seeds of a certain set of species. The application of high‐diversity seed mixtures has proven to be an efficient method (Prach, Jongepierová, Řehunková, & Fajmon, ; Walker et al, ), but mixtures like these are expensive and frequently unavailable in sufficient quantities for large‐scale restorations. Sowing only a limited set of competitive grasses is easier to implement, and these grasses can suppress weeds, leading to a rapid restoration of a ‘grassy matrix’ of the habitats (Török et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recovery of species richness lags behind functional recovery in restored grasslands

Tölgyesi¹,

Török²,

Kun

et al. 2019

Land Degrad Dev

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Restoration of grasslands on abandoned croplands is a major opportunity for land development in degraded landscapes. In this study, we compared the success of three restoration measures, spontaneous recovery, perennial‐crop–mediated restoration, and sowing native grasses, by using a unique combination of species‐based and trait‐based approaches. We sampled 373 4‐m2 plots in nearly 1,000 ha of 20‐year‐old–restored grasslands and 72 4‐m2 plots in three neighbouring ancient grasslands. Species richness and target species cover were higher in spontaneously recovered sites than in other restored sites, but reference sites had higher scores than all restored sites. Spontaneous sites had higher functional diversity than the other restored sites. Spontaneous and reference sites showed little difference in their functional diversity and in the community‐weighted means of relevant traits. Our findings indicate that the establishment limitation effect of the initial application of perennial crops or sowing competitive grasses can last for decades, hindering the recolonization of target species and the recovery of functional diversity; thus, they should be applied in landscapes with high cover of natural habitats only when inhibiting undesirable species is of paramount importance. The similar levels of functional niche saturation in spontaneous and reference sites may also indicate a self‐developed establishment‐limited situation after 20 years of succession. In combination with this, the lagging recovery of species richness entails lower functional redundancy in spontaneous sites. Our results underline the necessity of postrestorative management methods that reduce establishment limitation and contribute to the recolonization and subsequent coexistence of functionally similar species.

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“…Although, the use of local seeds decreases the cost of restoration, most of the projects employ commercial seeds (Prach et al 2014). Before being used, seeds are usually tested for light and darkness requirements, however these kinds of tests provide little information about the role of the light on regeneration (Tiansawat & Dalling 2013).…”

Section: Effect Of Light Quality On Tabebuia Rosea (Bignoniaceae) Seementioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of light quality on Tabebuia rosea seed germination

Basto

Ramírez

2014

Univ. Sci.

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Tabebuia rosea germination capacity and rate have been examined under light and dark conditions. However, seeds responses to light quality, in particular to short and mid-wavelengths, are not well known. We hypothesized that short wavelengths would have a positive effect on T. rosea germination. The effects of short, mid and long-wavelengths on germination capacity, rate (germination rate index, germination rate R50, a devised index of germination rate R50´ and peak value), mean daily germination and germination value were evaluated. Light quality had little effect on germination capacity; it was reduced only in darkness. Seeds under short and midwavelengths germinated faster (germination rate) than under any other light treatments. We concluded that although T. rosea seeds respond to all light quality treatments, the short and mid-wavelengths are the cue for increasing germination speed. For synchronizing germination, short and mid-wavelengths transmitted by red cellophane paper can be used as a pre-germinative treatment for restoration and silvicultural purposes.

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Restoration of grasslands on ex-arable land using regional and commercial seed mixtures and spontaneous succession: Successional trajectories and changes in species richness

Cited by 59 publications

References 19 publications

Agronomic methods for mountain grassland habitat restoration for faunistic purposes in a protected area of the northern Apennines (Italy)

Agronomic methods for mountain grassland habitat restoration for faunistic purposes in a protected area of the northern Apennines (Italy)

Recovery of species richness lags behind functional recovery in restored grasslands

Effect of light quality on Tabebuia rosea seed germination

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