Integrating Mechanical and Cultural Control Treatments to Manage the Invasive Shrub Chromolaena odorata in Grassland Areas

Integrating Mechanical and Cultural Control Treatments to Manage the Invasive Shrub Chromolaena odorata in Grassland Areas

Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and H. Robinson, is a major invasive weed of pastures and plantation crops in many countries and has become one of the worst invasive plants in grassland areas in Indonesia. Chromolaena can grow rapidly and form infestations that can suppress pasture by competing for nutrients and water, and by over-shading. Its allelopathic effect lowers productivity of desirable forage species with a concomitant loss of livestock production. Chromolaena leaves, especially when young, are toxic to animals due to high levels of nitrate (5 - 6 times above toxic level) (Sajise 1974).

Control of Chromolaena is difficult due to its ability to thrive in a wide variety of soils, rapid attainment of reproductive maturity, large production of easily dispersed seed and a strong ability to resprout after burning (Witkowsky and Wilson 2001). The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of integrating mechanical and cultural control methods to suppress regrowth of Chromolaena and other weeds and to determine the influence of Chromolaena management on botanical composition.