Management efficiency to control two invasive grasses in cerrado fragments, in São Paulo State / Eficiência do manejo no controle de duas espécies de gramíneas invasoras em Cerrados Paulistas

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2009

RESUMO

Several African grasses introduced in the Brazilian savannas for cattle feeding became invasive, and now they severely threaten the native biodiversity. It is, therefore, fundamental to look for effective methods to control them. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency and cost of different management techniques to control the invasive grasses Urochloa decumbens and Melinis minutiflora. The study was conducted in the Cerrado Pé-de-Gigante and Itirapina Ecological Station (SP, Brazil). Six plots dominated by U. decumbens and six by M. minutiflora were selected and a random block design was applied including the treatments: clipping once ( CRI, nov/2007) and twice (CRII, nov/2007 and mar/2008), clipping and soil digging once (CRSI, nov/2007) and twice (CRSII, nov/2007 and mar/2008), shading (SOM), mugging (ABF), being the last two applied in July/2007 and remained covered until mar/2008, respectively with nylon mesh and canvas. At the end of the experiment (jul/2008), all biomass in the blocks was cut and separated into categories (native grasses, U. decumbens, M. minutiflora and dicotyledons). The analyses were based on permutation tests. The cost of each treatment was calculated taking into account materials, tools, labor, transportation and discharge. The most effective treatments to reduce U. decumbens biomass were ABF, CRII and CRSII, being ABF economically viable only for small patches; the double-clipping treatments showed best benefit/cost value in large areas. The treatments ABF, CRII, CRSI and CRSII were effective in reducing M. minutiflora biomass, being CRSI the one which showed a best benefit/cost value; therefore, clipping and digging is the best way to control that grass.

ASSUNTO(S)

cerrado urochloa decumbens gramíneas management urochola decumbens control controle invasão biológica melinis minutiflora grasses manejo melinis minutiflora biological invasion cerrado

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