Observations from seedbank studies on Solanum mauritianum Scop. (bugweed) in a pine plantation, South Africa

Abstract

This study investigated the bugweed (Solanum mauritianum Scop.) seedbank in a mature pine plantation in the midlands of Kwa-Zulu/Natal. Bugweed seeds were found up to 10cm below the soil but >90% were not viable. Viable seeds were not found on the soil surface. Seed viability increased with soil depth. Seedlings emerged naturally from soil depths up to 4cm below the pine litter in a plantation, but under controlled conditions in a greenhouse, seedlings emerged from 8cm underground. Seasonal seedling survival in timber plantations was low, being greatest where mature bugweed plants were scattered.