Suppresive plants as weed management tool: Managing Parthenium hysterophorus under simulated grazing in Australian grasslands

Abstract

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is among one of the most problematic invasive grassland weeds in Australia, and in many other countries around the world. It can reduce pasture and livestock production, natural community biodiversity, and negatively affect human and animal health. Sowing of selected suppressive pasture plants in parthenium weed infested grasslands has shown potential to improve efficacy of management. However, such species need to be tested for their ability to suppress weed growth under grazing conditions. The parthenium weed suppressive and fodder production capacity of six selected pasture species [purple pigeon grass (Setaria incrassata), buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris), butterfly pea (Clitoria ternatea), Kangaroo grass (Themeda triandra), bull Mitchell grass (Astrebla squarrosa) and Indian bluegrass (Bothriochloa pertusa)] was tested under no (0%), low (25%), moderate (50%) and heavy (75%) simulated grazing pressures in a grassland area of south-central Queensland, Australia. Purple pigeon grass, buffel grass and butterfly pea legume suppressed the growth of parthenium weed by >50% under low and moderate simulated grazing pressures, as well as generating moderate to high amounts of fodder biomass (up to 5.07 t ha−1 per year). Native species, Kangaroo grass and bull Mitchell grass both suppressed the parthenium weed's growth by >50% under low simulated grazing pressure, however, they generated low to moderate amounts of biomass, 1.83 t ha−1 and 2.7 t ha−1 per year, respectively. The sowing of selected suppressive pasture species in parthenium weed infested grasslands with low-to-moderate grazing pressure, assuming this corresponds closely with the simulated treatment, would provide an additional tool to the best practice weed management strategy as well as sustaining fodder production.