The potential of Nephrolepis biserrata fern as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantation

Satriawan H, Fuady Z, Ernawita. 2021. The potential of Nephrolepis biserrata fern as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantation. Biodiversitas 22: 4808-4817. Nuisance plants or weeds are commonly found in agricultural landscapes including in oil palm plantations. Despite being considered as weeds, several of them have the potential to be used as ground cover vegetation including Nephrolepis biserrata (Sw). Schott. This fern species exhibits beneficial characteristic as ground cover plant especially in terms of the contribution of organic matter and soil moisture through the prevention of evapotranspiration. The objective of this research is to explore the potential of N.biserrata as ground cover vegetation in oil palm plantations based on the assessment of its ecological characteristics regarding the growth and decomposition rate, tolerance to shade, organic contents and carbon accumulation. The split plot experimental design was used with the age of oil palm plants was used as main plot while in the sub-plots the spacing of N. biserrata was used at three varying distances 10x10cm, 20x20 cm, and 30x30 cm, each treatment had three replicates. Nine parameters observed were the percentage of growth, the percentage of ground cover, plant height, fronds number per plant, leaves number per plant, Leaf Area Index, dry weight (g), nutrient content in plant tissue, and potential carbon stock. Results showed that N. biserrata showed rapid growth in covering the ground surface (8-12 weeks after planting), had rapid decomposition rate (30-60 days), tolerant to shading which was characterized by the highest percentage of growth up to 81.16% and covering area up to 95.9%, accumulated organic contents of N (1.23-1.53%), P (0.18-0.22%), and K (1.4-1.67%), respectively. In addition, total dry weight biomass obtained was 27.1 ton/ha, accumulated carbon in plant of 0.9 tons C/ha/year, and amount of soil carbon stock 76.4-97.4 tonnes/ha/year. The results of this study suggest that Nephrolepis biserrata is a potential plant to be utilized as a ground cover plant in oil palm plantations.

Occurrence of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes of Turfgrass in Korea

Plant-parasitic nematodes are not only an important constraint on agricultural crop production, but also cause both direct and indirect damage to turfgrass, which is a ground cover plant. However, studies on plant-parasitic nematodes of turfgrass in Korea are scarce. A survey for plant-parasitic nematodes was carried out on 13 golf courses in Korea. The results yielded 28 species/taxa belonging to 16 genera and 12 families of plant-parasitic nematodes. Among the isolated species, <i>Helicotylenchus microlobus</i>, <i>Mesocriconema</i> <i>nebraskense</i>, <i>Tylenchorhynchus claytoni</i>, <i>Mesocriconema</i> sp., and <i>Meloidogyne graminicola</i> were the most prevalent species in all management zones. Twelve species were new records of plant-parasitic nematodes in Korea. Highest maximum densities were showed by <i>T. claytoni</i>, <i>Paratylenchus nanus</i>, <i>M. nebraskense</i>, <i>M. graminicola</i>, and <i>H. microlobus</i>. Diversity (<i>H’</i>), was significantly higher in fairways compared to tees and greens, though species evenness (<i>J’</i>) and dominance (<i>D</i>) showed no statistically significant differences. This information is crucial in nematode problem diagnosis, and the subsequent formulation of management strategies.

Main features of soil and plant cover of South-Eastern Shirvan plain

The article discusses the main soil types of the South-Eastern Shirvan plain, the dominant plant groups and their main features. The main environmental problems of the region's soils are salinization and oil pollution in some areas. One part of the territory of the plain is Shirvan National Park. The study of soil and vegetation of the South-Eastern Shirvan plain is important not only in terms of plant formations, but also for the population of the fauna of the National Park. In particular, many plant species in the area are the main food for herds of gazelles. Key words: South-Eastern Shirvan plain, ground cover, plant cover,salt-ridden lands, biotopes

Effect of different periods of irrigation on growth and yield of Cenchrus ciliaris at semi-arid zone of North Darfur State, Sudan

Buffel grass Cenchrus ciliaris L. (Poaceae) is recognized as one of Australia's most serious environmental weeds. This introduced grass has been associated with loss of native species and alteration of fire regimes. However, it is also highly valued as a pasture species for arid and semi-arid zones and its weed status is highly controversial. This study was conducted at the private farm, Southern part of Alfashir Airport, North Darfur State, Sudan. The objective was to evaluate the effect of different periods of irrigation (DPI) on growth and forage yield of Cenchrus ciliaris during years of 2018 and 2019. The experiment was laid-out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates, the plot size was 8x5 m. Data collected included plant density, plant ground cover, plant height and dry matter yield. DPI showed significant effect on plant density, plant ground cover, Plant height and dry matter yield. The study showed that irrigation every 7 days (Ir1) was suitable for buffel grass at semi-arid zone in Sudan. Quantitative studies are needed to determine its ecological effects.

Soybean as ground cover plant and intercrop in immature oil palm plantation

One of the solutions to fulfil the demand is optimizing large area of land between oil palm before the fused canopy. This study aimed to determine the potential of soybean as ground cover plant and intercrop in immature oil palm plantation and to obtain the information on soybean varieties that have been developed as added value for farmers income (RC ratio). The study was conducted in Tanah Laut district, South Kalimantan province. The treatments used a new superior variety namely Anjasmoro, Dena 1 and Grobogan. As ground cover plant, soybean was planted when oil palm plantation was under 3.5 years. The result showed that using recommended fertilizers 40 days after planting, soybean has been able to cover 98%, 95%, and 93%. Until the 50th day, the ground will be covered 100%. Whereas using fertilizers done by farmers, the land cover was 93%, 94%, and 93%, and on the 50th day, it also reached 100%. The result of an economic analysis based on the R/C was profitable with the value of 1.42 by applying fertilizer according to cropping calendar recomendations.

Populations and Host/Non-Host Plants of Spittlebugs Nymphs in Olive Orchards from Northeastern Portugal

The Aphrophoridae family contains important vectors of Xylella fastidiosa, a serious bacterial plant disease. In olive orchards, nymphs usually feed on the ground-cover vegetation. However, detailed information about their populations and host/non-host plants in some regions threatened by Xylella, such as the northeast of Portugal, is very limited. The goal of our work was to identify the vector species, nymphal development period, and their host and non-host herbaceous plants in olive orchards from northeastern Portugal. Ground-cover plant species hosting or not hosting nymphs were identified during the spring of 2017 to 2019 in olive orchards. Nymphal development period, nymph aggregation, and nymph’s preferred feeding height of the ground-cover plants were recorded. The most abundant Aphrophoridae species was Philaenus spumarius followed by Neophilaenus sp. Nymphs developed from April to early May and showed a low number of individuals per foam (generally between one and three). They preferred the middle part of the plants. Philaenus spumarius feeds preferentially on Asteraceae and Fabaceae, and Neophilaenus sp. on Poaceae. Some abundant plants, such as Bromus diandrus, Astragalus pelecinus, Chrysanthemum segetum, Trifolium spp., Caryophyllaceae, and Brassicaceae, were barely colonized by Aphrophoridae nymphs. This knowledge is essential for the selection of the species composition of ground-cover vegetation to minimize the presence of vectors of X. fastidiosa in olive groves.

Common Patterns and Diverging Trajectories in Primary Succession of Plants in Eastern Alpine Glacier Forelands

This paper deals with the vegetation development in four glacier forelands, aligned along a distance of 250 km from West to East in the siliceous Eastern Central Alps. The study employs a chronosequence approach, which assumes a temporal sequence in vegetation development by spatially different sites regarding time since deglaciation. The chronosequences cover the area between Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum glacier extent around 1850, and the current glacier terminus. Despite some shortcomings, chronosequences allow the identification of general patterns of primary succession of plants as a function of site age and local environmental conditions, e.g., changes in species richness, ground cover, plant functional traits, and community structure. While there is no shortage of chronosequence studies in glacier forelands of the Alps, a straightforward comparison aimed at the deduction of general successional trajectories is tricky, due to different procedures of vegetation sampling and data analyses. The comparative examination by a standardized sampling and analyzing protocol of four glacier forelands in the Eastern Central Alps presented here proves the existence of several common patterns in primary succession, but also diverging successional trajectories from West to East. While the pioneer stage in all glacier forelands is similar both floristically and structurally, from the early successional stage onwards, differences increase, leading to different phases in the late successional stage, which is shrub dominated throughout in the westernmost study site, herb–grass–dwarfshrub dominated throughout in the easternmost study site, and divided into an earlier herb–grass–dwarfshrub phase and a later shrub phase in the two study sites in between.

Habitat management of organic vineyard in Northern Italy: the role of cover plants management on arthropod functional biodiversity

The effect of cover plants on arthropod functional biodiversity was investigated in a vineyard in Northern Italy, through a 3-year field experiment. The following six ground cover plants were tested: Sweet Alyssum; Phacelia; Buckwheat; Faba Bean; Vetch and Oat; control. Arthropods were sampled using different techniques, including collection of leaves, vacuum sampling and sweeping net. Ground cover plant management significantly affected arthropod fauna, including beneficial groups providing ecosystem services like biological control against pests. Many beneficial groups were attracted by ground cover treatments in comparison with control, showing an aggregative numerical response in the plots managed with some of the selected plant species. Alyssum, Buckwheat and ‘Vetch and Oat’ mixture showed attractiveness on some Hymenoptera parasitoid families, which represented 72.3% of the insects collected by sweeping net and 45.7 by vacuum sampling. Phytoseiidae mites showed a significant increase on leaves of the vineyard plots managed with ground covers, in comparison with control, although they did not show any difference among the treatments. In general, the tested ground cover treatments did not increase dangerous Homoptera populations in comparison with control, with the exception of Alyssum. The potential of ground cover plant management in Italian vineyards is discussed: the overall lack of potential negative effects of the plants tested, combined with an aggregative numerical response for many beneficials, seems to show a potential for their use in Northern Italy vineyards.