scholarly journals Correction to: Potential distribution of aquatic invasive alien plants, Eichhornia crassipes and Salvinia molesta under climate change in Sri Lanka

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Champika S. Kariyawasam ◽  
Lalit Kumar ◽  
Sujith S. Ratnayake
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Eichhornia Crassipes ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Salvinia Molesta ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants

scholarly journals Effects of Climate Change on Weeds and Invasive Alien Plants in Sri Lankan Agro-Ecosystems: Policy and Management Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Buddhi Marambe ◽  
Siril Wijesundara
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
National Policy ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Steady Increase ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants

Changes in the climate have worsen the problems caused by weeds and invasive alien plants (IAPs) in agro-ecosystems at global scale resulting from their changes in the range and population densities. Over the past six decades, Sri Lanka has experienced a slow but steady increase in annual environmental temperature by 0.01–0.03°C. Increasing extreme events of rainfall, wetter wet seasons, and drier dry seasons are some of the characteristic features of the changes in the climate observed in Sri Lanka over the years. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) in Sri Lanka has established a National Invasive Species Specialist Group (NISSG) in 2012 and adopted the National Policy on Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Sri Lanka, Strategies and Action Plan in 2016. Further, the MOE has developed and adopted protocols to assess the risk of IAS at pre- and post-entry level to the country while incorporating climate change concerns. Periodic risk assessments have being carried out to prioritize actions against IAS in Sri Lanka. The Ministry of Agriculture as adopted a National Weed Strategy (NWS) and has identified the Weeds of National Significance (WONS) under different priority crops. A study done in 2014 has clearly shown that weed control costs in agricultural lands in several district of Sri Lanka were nearly doubled during the years that experienced El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Further, studies have clearly indicated that IAPs also survive, expand and impact the continuously disturbed environments in agro-ecosystems. Panicum trichocladum, a species listed as a potential invasive based on the risk assessment done in 2016, has shown an increase in its population density and distribution in Sri Lanka during the last 2–3 years. However, weeds and IAPs in agro-ecosystems have drawn less attention of policy makers, scientists, and practitioners in relation to impact of climate change in island ecosystems. This paper focuses on the scientific evidence reported in agro-ecosystems in Sri Lanka on climate-related impacts on agriculturally important weeds and IAPs, and the efforts made to manage their introduction and spread across the country.

scholarly journals Feasibility of using Problematic Aquatic Weeds in Productive Manner by Generating Vermicompost in Coconut Triangle Area of Sri Lanka

CORD ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
S.H.S. Senarathne
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Eichhornia Crassipes ◽  
Growth Parameters ◽  
Organic Fertilizer ◽  
Productivity Loss ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Aquatic Weeds ◽  
Salvinia Molesta ◽  
Guinea Grass

Aquatic weeds cause severe productivity loss in agriculture. These plants invade lakes, ponds, rivers, canals and agricultural fields, becoming noxious weeds. The study was conducted at the vermicomposting unit of the Coconut Research Institute, Lunuwila, in the Low country Dry Zone of North Western province of Sri Lanka from August 2012 to May 2013 to find out the feasibility of producing vermicompost from three aquatic weeds; Salvinia molesta, Eichhornia crassipes and Lagenandra toxicaria. Vermicompost and compost were prepared separately from aquatic weeds and Gliricidia and Guinea grass combinations. During the vermicomposting process, growth parameters of earthworms; number of earthworms, was taken in every ten days interval further, physical, chemical and biological properties of compost and vermicompost were analyzed. Experiment was carried out in a Complete Randomized Design (CRD) with eight treatment and five replicates in each treatment. Eichhornia and Salvinia recorded the highest adult earthworm number and juvenile number with the lowest mortality rate. Electrical conductivity (6.75 dSm-1), organic carbon (13.21%), phosphorous (3.61%), potassium (5.03%) and calcium (6.12%) were significantly high in Lagenandra toxicaria, Gliricidia and Guinea grass treatment was significantly high in nitrogen content (3.93%) and low in C: N ratio (2.51), compared to aquatic weeds. Salvinia showed comparatively higher nitrogen content and lower C: N ratio among aquatic weeds. Both Eichhornia and Lagenandra showed significantly higher microbial activity. Vermicompost was superior in all the properties compared to compost in the same substrate. The study revealed that aquatic weeds such as Salvinia molesta, Eichhornia crassipes and Lagenandra toxicaria which are readily available in the coconut triangle can be successfully used to produce Vermicompost. It can be concluded that the Vermicompost produced from aquatic weeds locally could be a suitable organic fertilizer for organic coconut farming in Sri Lanka.

Potential impact of climate change on the distribution of six invasive alien plants in Nepal

2018 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 99-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uttam Babu Shrestha ◽  
Krishna Prasad Sharma ◽  
Anjana Devkota ◽  
Mohan Siwakoti ◽  
Bharat Babu Shrestha
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
Impact Of Climate Change ◽  
Potential Impact

scholarly journals Neglected and Underutilized Fruit Species in Sri Lanka: Prioritisation and Understanding the Potential Distribution under Climate Change

Agronomy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sujith S. Ratnayake ◽  
Lalit Kumar ◽  
Champika S. Kariyawasam
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Potential Distribution ◽  
Potential Range ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Emissions Scenarios ◽  
Rcp 8.5 ◽  
Food Security And Nutrition ◽  
Suitable Area ◽  
The Impact

Neglected and underutilized fruit species (NUFS) can make an important contribution to the economy, food security and nutrition requirement for Sri Lanka. Identifying suitable areas for cultivation of NUFS is of paramount importance to deal with impending climate change issues. Nevertheless, limited studies have been carried out to assess the impact of climate change on the potential distribution of NUFS. Therefore, we examined the potential range changes of NUFS in a tropical climate using a case study from Sri Lanka. We prioritized and modeled the potentially suitable areas for four NUFS, namely Aegle marmelos, Annona muricata, Limonia acidissima and Tamarindus indica under current and projected climates (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) for 2050 and 2070 using the maximum entropy (Maxent) species distribution modeling (SDM) approach. Potentially suitable areas for NUFS are predicted to decrease in the future under both scenarios. Out of the four NUFS, T. indica appears to be at the highest risk due to reduction in potential areas that are suitable for its growth under both emissions scenarios. The predicted suitable area reductions of this species for 2050 and 2070 are estimated as >75% compared to the current climate. A region of potentially higher climatic suitability was found around mid-county for multiple NUFS, which is also predicted to decrease under projected climate change. Further, the study identified high-potential agro-ecological regions (AERs) located in the mid-country’s wet and intermediate zones as the most suitable areas for promoting the cultivation of NUFS. The findings show the potential for incorporating predictive modeling into the management of NUFS under projected climate change. This study highlights the requirements of climate change adaptation strategies and focused research that can increase the resilience of NUFS to future changes in climate.

Shifting ranges of eleven invasive alien plants in China in the face of climate change

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 101024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bi-cai Guan ◽  
Han-jing Guo ◽  
Si-si Chen ◽  
Dong-ming Li ◽  
Xiang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
The Face

scholarly journals Effective governance for management of invasive alien plants: evidence from the perspective of forest and wildlife officers in Sri Lanka

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8343
Author(s):  
E.M.B.P. Ekanayake ◽  
Yi Xie ◽  
Abubakar Sadiq Ibrahim ◽  
N.T.P. Karunaratne ◽  
Shahzad Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Alien Plants ◽  
Ecological Change ◽  
Probit Regression ◽  
Invasive Alien Plants ◽  
Professional Programs ◽  
Sociological Factors ◽  
The Government ◽  
Almost All ◽  
And Control

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are a significant cause of socio-ecological change in Sri Lanka. Many studies have focused on the ecological dimensions of this problem, but few have addressed sociological factors such as the knowledge and perceptions of individuals and groups tasked with addressing IAPs. This study investigates how IAP issues are understood and perceived by professional forest and wildlife officers in Sri Lanka. The data analyzed were gathered using a questionnaire that covered three themes: the respondents’ ability to identify IAPs, the impacts of IAPs and the threats they pose, and knowledge regarding control and mitigation. The questionnaire was completed by 186 field officers, and the resulting descriptive statistics and a probit regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The results show that almost all of the participating forest and wildlife officers were aware of the problems associated with IAPs but more than 75% of them lacked an accurate understanding of scientific means for controlling them and control policies established by the government of Sri Lanka. Generally, wildlife officers had a better understanding than forest officers. In addition, the analysis shows that officers’ knowledge and perceptions of IAPs were positively correlated with their level of education and position within the organization. The analysis points to several recommendations for Sri Lankan officials when designing and implementing comprehensive policies and professional programs, particularly for lower-level field officers.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document