Track 2-2-1: Plant Diseases, Insect Pests and Weed Management
Description
A major constraint to livestock production in tropical countries is the scarcity and fluctuating quantity and quality of year around forage supply. During the rainy season, tropical forage species grow at very fast rates, with forage yields often exceeding animal requirements. If not cut or fed to animals, during the dry season such forage becomes fibrous and lack of most essential nutrients required by animals. In densely populated country like Indonesia, lacks of forage supply are aggravated by the high conversion of grassland to cash crop and invasion of alien weeds into pasture area.
Since introduced to Indonesia in the turn of the twenty century, Chromolaena odorata invasion has transformed forest, grassland and savanna ecosystems. Its fast growing, highly competitive for nutrients and allelopathic traits making this weed can be forming a dense stand that reducing grazing area and lowering productivity of forage species. Its bitter tasting and high levels of nitrate (Sajise et al., 1974) making this plant to be avoided by livestock and increases its competitiveness in pasture area. In Maiwa pasture, during dry season, where the pasture has been heavily infested by Chromolaena, many livestock dies because of starvation.
Exotic species invasion and overgrazing can drive declines in biodiversity and grassland ecosystem functioning. Biodiversity is known to have a stabilizing effect on productivity through asynchrony between species. There is a lack of study concerning impact of Chromolaena invasion on vegetation and soil characteristics in pasture area. The present study examines the impact of Chromolaena invasion on diversity, dry matter yield of vegetation and soil mineral contents in pasture area.
Included in
Impact of Chromolaena odorata Invasion on Diversity, Dry Matter Yield and Soil Mineral Contents in Pasture Area
A major constraint to livestock production in tropical countries is the scarcity and fluctuating quantity and quality of year around forage supply. During the rainy season, tropical forage species grow at very fast rates, with forage yields often exceeding animal requirements. If not cut or fed to animals, during the dry season such forage becomes fibrous and lack of most essential nutrients required by animals. In densely populated country like Indonesia, lacks of forage supply are aggravated by the high conversion of grassland to cash crop and invasion of alien weeds into pasture area.
Since introduced to Indonesia in the turn of the twenty century, Chromolaena odorata invasion has transformed forest, grassland and savanna ecosystems. Its fast growing, highly competitive for nutrients and allelopathic traits making this weed can be forming a dense stand that reducing grazing area and lowering productivity of forage species. Its bitter tasting and high levels of nitrate (Sajise et al., 1974) making this plant to be avoided by livestock and increases its competitiveness in pasture area. In Maiwa pasture, during dry season, where the pasture has been heavily infested by Chromolaena, many livestock dies because of starvation.
Exotic species invasion and overgrazing can drive declines in biodiversity and grassland ecosystem functioning. Biodiversity is known to have a stabilizing effect on productivity through asynchrony between species. There is a lack of study concerning impact of Chromolaena invasion on vegetation and soil characteristics in pasture area. The present study examines the impact of Chromolaena invasion on diversity, dry matter yield of vegetation and soil mineral contents in pasture area.
