Effects of perennial species on the demography of annual grass weeds in pastures subject to seasonal drought and grazing
K. N. Tozer A F G , D. F. Chapman A , R. D. Cousens B , P. E. Quigley C , P. M. Dowling D , G. A. Kearney E and C. A. Cameron FA Department of Agriculture & Food Systems, The University of Melbourne, Vic. 3010, Australia.
B Department of Natural Resource Management & Geography, Burnley Campus, The University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Vic. 3121, Australia.
C 94 Leura Lane, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
D School of Rural Management, Charles Sturt University, PO Box 883, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.
E 36 Paynes Road, Hamilton, Vic. 3300, Australia.
F Present address: AgResearch, Ruakura Research Centre, Private Bag 3123, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.
G Corresponding author. Email: katherine.tozer@agresearch.co.nz
Crop and Pasture Science 60(11) 1088-1096 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP08453
Submitted: 17 December 2008 Accepted: 28 July 2009 Published: 19 October 2009
Abstract
A field experiment was established in a southern Australian temperate pasture to investigate the effects of identity and proximity of perennial grasses on the demography of the annual grasses Vulpia spp. (V. myuros, V. bromoides) and Hordeum leporinum (barley grass). Annual grasses were grown either alone or in mixtures, at different distances from rows of Dactylis glomerata (cocksfoot) and Phalaris aquatica (phalaris). Dactylis had a greater suppressive effect than Phalaris on Vulpia and Hordeum. Biomass, tiller production, and panicle production of annual grasses increased linearly with increasing distance from the perennial row. Tiller and panicle production were greater for Vulpia than Hordeum. The estimated rate of population growth (λ) for annual grasses was greater in Phalaris than in Dactylis and in Vulpia than in Hordeum, and increased with sowing distance from perennial grass rows. It was estimated that λ, when seeds were sown directly adjacent to a row of perennial grasses, was 1 and 0.4 for Vulpia and Hordeum, respectively, within Dactylis stands, and 7 and 3, respectively, within Phalaris stands. However, 15 cm from the row, λ reached 50 and 39 for Vulpia and Hordeum, respectively, within Phalaris stands, and 39 and 16, respectively, within Dactylis stands. In grazed, dryland pastures, perennial competition alone is therefore unlikely to prevent population growth of annual grasses, especially in systems heavily disturbed by grazing or drought. However, Dactylis showed more promise than Phalaris in limiting the abundance of these weeds.
Additional keywords: neighbour competition, Dactylis glomerata, Phalaris aquatica, perennial pastures, Hordeum, Vulpia.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful to the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management Systems for funding this project and to members of the Sustainable Grazing Systems team from the Pastoral and Veterinary Institute, Hamilton, for technical assistance and advice. Experiments undertaken in this manuscript comply with Australian laws.
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