Paspalum conjugatum (buffalo grass).

Paspalum conjugatum is a vigorous, creeping perennial grass with long stolons and dense culms that may grow up to 1 m tall. It has been extensively introduced as a forage and lawn grass and it can now be found naturalized across tropical and subtropical regions. P. conjugatum tolerates high levels of disturbance and pollution, grows vigorously under partial shade, spreads easily by seeds and stolons, and can withstand acidic and low-nutrient soils. Once established, this grass behaves as an aggressive weed in active pastures and agricultural lands, but also in disturbed and undisturbed natural forests and grasslands. It forms a dense ground cover that competes with and inhibits the establishment of other plant species, including other grasses and crops. In the Pacific region, it has been stated that some native forests have become extinct due to this grass pest.

Paspalum conjugatum (buffalo grass).

Paspalum conjugatum is a vigorous, creeping perennial grass with long stolons and dense culms that may grow up to 1 m tall. It has been extensively introduced as a forage and lawn grass and it can now be found naturalized across tropical and subtropical regions. P. conjugatum tolerates high levels of disturbance and pollution, grows vigorously under partial shade, spreads easily by seeds and stolons, and can withstand acidic and low-nutrient soils. Once established, this grass behaves as an aggressive weed in active pastures and agricultural lands, but also in disturbed and undisturbed natural forests and grasslands. It forms a dense ground cover that competes with and inhibits the establishment of other plant species, including other grasses and crops. In the Pacific region, it has been stated that some native forests have become extinct due to this grass pest.

Livestock and grassland interrelationship along five centuries of ranching the semiarid grasslands on the southern highlands of the Mexican Plateau

Native grasslands worldwide have been degraded by grazing, but the processes involved have been studied insufficiently. Grasslands were a major habitat on the southern section of the Mexican Plateau when the Spaniards arrived 500 years ago. Since then, they have been impacted heavily through grazing, but the details and history of such impacts have not been established. We aimed at untangling almost 500 years of grazing of these grasslands, based on extensive searches of published information and of documents in historical archives. We identified three periods of ranching: Cattle, from the mid-16th to the mid-17th Centuries; sheep, reflecting a change from tall to short grasses; and, finally, goats and horses, along with sheep, asses and some cattle, after serious grassland degradation by the mid-20th Century. Overgrazing has impacted grassland composition in the region and its capacity to support livestock, but also, strongly affect some 20 species of native vertebrates and an unknown number of plant and invertebrate species. The current condition of some ranges and a livestock exclosure indicate that grassland improvement is possible, but realistic objectives based on biodiversity conservation and livestock production should be targeted, rather than utopic pre-livestock frameworks. Grasslands in the region at the time of Spanish arrival possibly had a mixture of grasses and herbs, but buffalo grass and the central Mexico tobosa grass are potential initial range management targets for grassland recovery of the ranges in worst condition, while blue gramma and the Mexican plateau gramma are good targets for ranges that still have some grass cover.

Investigation of the potential of buffalo and couch grasses to grow on AFIs and for removal of nutrients from paper mill wastewater

The potential growth of buffalo grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) and couch grass (Cynodon dactylon) on artificial floating islands (AFIs) and their ability to remove total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) from a simulated paper mill wastewater was studied. This was done to assess the potential of AFIs for removal of nutrients from aerated stabilization basins (ASBs) that had occasional growth of blue-green algae (BGA) to bloom levels. Small scale AFIs were prepared using polyethylene foam and planted with the grasses in 30 L of tested water. Trials were conducted in a plastic covered greenhouse over a three-month period where temperatures ranged from 15 to 44 °C. The results showed that both buffalo and couch grasses can adapt to planting in AFIs showing increases of 125% and 148% in wet weight, respectively. Nutrient uptake by buffalo grass and couch grass were found to be similar. Percentage uptakes of TP and TN from the synthetic water by the buffalo grass were 82% and 47%, whereas by couch grass, uptakes were 83% and 45%, respectively.