Grass Andropogon Research Articles

Association of <i>Aeschynomene histrix</i> with <i>Andropogon gayanus</i> or <i>Panicum maximun</i>: A Comparative Study of Pasture Quality

Forage crops are essential for developing ruminant livestock farming. The combination of grasses and legumes in the same pasture provides a forage with more balanced nutritional value which enhances animal performance. In sub-Saharan africa, forage crops are very rarely practiced. The objective of this study was to improve the quality of the forage given to ruminants, by growing together, grasses and legumes in the same pasture. A legume (Aeschynomene histrix) has been studied in association with two grasses (Andropogon gayanus, Panicum maximum). The study was carried out to evaluate the competitiveness of the legume forage according to different grass establishment densities in order to identify the mixture that offers a better compromise between productivity, forage quality and pasture stability. The evolution of the forage biomass and its nutritional value were evaluated over three years. The results obtained shown that the legume grows better in the presence of one of the two grasses studied. The forage from one grass had on average higher energy and nitrogen values that the other. However, the method of mowing used in this study was not sufficient to make a complete judgment on the stability of the two types of associations. The associations studied will have to be grazed by the cattle before concluding definitively.

Aprostocetus chilophagae new species (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)from South Dakota, with taxonomic notes on A. bromi (Kostjukov) and A. nebraskensis (Girault).

Aprostocetus chilophagae Yefremova and Yegorenkova, new species (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) is described from eastern South Dakota, U.S.A., and is reported as a parasitoid of the larva of Chilophaga virgati Gagné (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an ovule predator of Panicum virgatum. This new species is separated from sympatric A. bromi (Kostjukov) and A. nebraskensis (Girault) by structural morphology and host associations. Aprostocetus bromi was recently recognized from North America as an introduced species from Russia that is a primary parasitoid of the introduced ovule feeding gall midge Stenodiplosis bromicola Marikovskij and Agafonova (Cecidomyiidae) on the invasive grass Bromus inermis. Aprostocetus nebraskensis is a native species that is known as a parasitoid only from S. wattsi Gagné, also an ovule predator on the native prairie grasses Andropogon girardii, Schizachyrium scoparium, and Sorghastrum nutans. Trichacis rufipes Ashmead (Platygastridae) co-occurs with A. chilophagae new species on C. virgati, and a Centrodora sp. (Aphelinidae) may be a hyperparasitoid. The females of A. bromi and A. nebraskensis are redescribed and the males for each species are described for the first time.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Curvularia lunata pathogenic to andropogon grass

ABSTRACT The fungal genus Curvularia is associated with a number of diseases in plants, commonly producing foliar spots in forage grasses. The objective of this study was to characterize the morphological and molecular diversity of the isolates of Curvularia sp. associated with Andropogon seeds, and to assess both their capacity to transmit disease and the pathogenicity of this fungus to crop. Ten isolates of Curvularia sp. were sourced from Andropogon seeds from agricultural producing regions in the Brazilian states Tocantins and Para. Morphological characterization was achieved by observing fungus colonies and conidia and molecular characterization by DNA extraction and amplification with sequence-specific primers. The disease transmission was evaluated from seed sowing, in which after 40 days typical symptoms of Curvularia sp. were observed. Pathogenicity was evaluated by inoculating conidial suspension into the leaves of healthy plants, and after ten days, inspecting for pathogenic symptoms. Based on morphological and molecular features, the pathogen associated with Andropogon seeds was identified as Curvularia lunata, which, as such, is transmitted through the Andropogon plants via its seeds and is pathogenic to this species of forage grass.

Fractionation of nitrogen compounds and carbohydrates in forages of different ages

The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition and protein and carbohydrate fractions in three forage species (Andropogon gayanus Kunth, Cenchrus ciliares L. and Panicum maximun x Panicum infestum) at four cutting ages: 21, 35, 49 and 63 days. Experiments were carried out at the Federal Institute of Education Science and Technology of Rio Grande do Norte - IFRN, located in the municipality of Apodi- RN, Potiguar West Meso-region. Materials collected in the field were analyzed in the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition (LANA), Federal Rural Semiarid University (UFERSA), Campus Mossoró, RN. Samples were processed, phenated, and analyzed. The analysis conducted included fractionation of nitrogen compounds and carbohydrates and chemical composition (dry matter, mineral matter, crude protein, lipids and fibers) was determined. The forages evaluated showed decreasing crude protein content with increasing cutting age, ranging between 14.9 and 6.2%. Andropogon grass showed the highest crude protein content. The fiber content increased with age. Fiber consisted of 62.4%–70.0% NDF and 30.07%–33.03% ADF. Highest fiber content was recorded for Massai grass, in which case, these two component species showed the highest fractions of intermediate degradation protein (B2), while Andropogon and Buffel Capins showed higher fractions of non-fibrous carbohydrates (A and B1). An increase in the concentration of cell-wall material in the detriment of the cellular content with increasing plant age was observed in the fodder studied. We also observed an increase in the indigestible fraction (C) of proteins and carbohydrates in the species studied.

Structural characteristics and chemical composition of andropogon grass pasture managed under different defoliation intensities and rest periods

SUMMARY This study aimed to evaluate the agronomic, structural traits and chemical composition of andropogon grass subjected to different defoliation intensities and rest periods. Two defoliation intensities (15 and 30 cm) and four rest periods (25; 35, 45 and 55 days) were evaluated in a factorial completely randomized design, with four replications. The rest period promoted a linear decreasing effect (P <0.05) on the dry biomass of leaf blades in the two defoliation intensities. The dry biomass of stems showed an increasing linear effect (P <0.05) according to the rest periods in the two defoliation intensities. Production was recorded at 2427.71; 2907.39; 3325.72 and 3749.45 kg ha−1 for the periods of 25; 35; 45 and 55 days, respectively. The dry matter content showed an increasing linear effect (P <0.05) as a function of the rest periods evaluated in the two defoliation intensities. The rest period indicated a decreasing linear trend (P <0.05) for the crude protein content in the two defoliation intensities. A decrease of 0.9 and 0.7 g kg−1 was verified for each day of the rest period. For each additional day in the rest period, there was an increase of 1.2 and 1.5 g kg−1 DM in the neutral detergent fiber content at intensities of 15 and 30 cm. The andropogon grass pasture managed with a 25-day rest period and defoliation intensity of 30 cm showed high leaf/stem ratio and good nutritional value.

Invasive Andropogon gayanus (Gamba grass) alters litter decomposition and nitrogen fluxes in an Australian tropical savanna

The African grass Andropogon gayanus Kunth. is invading Australian savannas, altering their ecological and biogeochemical function. To assess impacts on nitrogen (N) cycling, we quantified litter decomposition and N dynamics of grass litter in native grass and A. gayanus invaded savanna using destructive in situ grass litter harvests and litterbag incubations (soil surface and aerial position). Only 30% of the A. gayanus in situ litter decomposed, compared to 61% of the native grass litter, due to the former being largely comprised of highly resistant A. gayanus stem. In contrast to the stem, A. gayanus leaf decomposition was approximately 3- and 2-times higher than the dominant native grass, Alloteropsis semilata at the surface and aerial position, respectively. Lower initial lignin concentrations, and higher consumption by termites, accounted for the greater surface decomposition rate of A. gayanus. N flux estimates suggest the N release of A. gayanus litter is insufficient to compensate for increased N uptake and N loss via fire in invaded plots. Annually burnt invaded savanna may lose up to 8.2% of the upper soil N pool over a decade. Without additional inputs via biological N fixation, A. gayanus invasion is likely to diminish the N capital of Australia’s frequently burnt savannas.

Soil macrofauna in a Cerrado/Caatinga ecotone under different crops in Southwestern Piauí State, Brazil

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to characterize the soil macrofauna under different crop systems and compare them to the macrofauna under the native vegetation of a Cerrado/Caatinga ecotone in southwestern Piauí State, Brazil. The areas studied included areas under sweetsop cultivation (Annona squamosa L.), andropogon grass with three years of use, andropogon grass with six years of use, pivot-irrigated corn, Napier grass, and native vegetation. In each area, soil layers of 0-0.1, 0.1-0.2, and 0.2-0.3m, including the surface litter, were evaluated following the Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility Program (TSBF) recommendations. The soil macrofauna from the different land-use systems were identified to the family level, and the mean density of each taxon was calculated for each soil-management type and layer. The structure of the soil macrofauna was negatively altered under the different crops in comparison to the native Cerrado/Caatinga vegetation, with macrofaunal occurrence varying in the different soil layers. A correlation existed between the functional groups and the soil grain-size distribution and moisture. Napier grass cultivation favored greater soil macrofaunal abundance, with a predominance of families belonging to the orders Isoptera and Hymenoptera. Number of soil macrofaunal families under pivot-irrigated corn was more like the number observed with the native vegetation, and corn also had greater family diversity compared to the other crops studied. Therefore, pivot-irrigated corn can reduce the impact of anthropogenic land use on the diversity of soil macrofauna.

Cinética ruminal de forrageiras tropicais submetidas ou não a sistema de irrigação

Avaliou-se a composição química e a cinética de fermentação ruminal de quatro espécies forrageiras submetidas ou não à irrigação. As espécies avaliadas foram Urochloa brizantha cv. MG5 (MG-5), Andropogon gayanus (Andropogon), Urochloa humidicola (Humidicola) e Digitaria umfolozi (Digitaria umfolozi). O experimento foi conduzido na fazenda experimental Campus Rural, São Cristóvão, SE. Observou-se diferença significativa (P

Inferential considerations for low-count RNA-seq transcripts: a case study on the dominant prairie grass Andropogon gerardii.

BackgroundDifferential expression (DE) analysis of RNA-seq data still poses inferential challenges, such as handling of transcripts characterized by low expression levels. In this study, we use a plasmode-based approach to assess the relative performance of alternative inferential strategies on RNA-seq transcripts, with special emphasis on transcripts characterized by a small number of read counts, so-called low-count transcripts, as motivated by an ecological application in prairie grasses. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is a wide-ranging dominant prairie grass of ecological and agricultural importance to the US Midwest while edaphic subspecies sand bluestem (A. gerardii ssp. Hallii) grows exclusively on sand dunes. Relative to big bluestem, sand bluestem exhibits qualitative phenotypic divergence consistent with enhanced drought tolerance, plausibly associated with transcripts of low expression levels. Our dataset consists of RNA-seq read counts for 25,582 transcripts (60 % of which are classified as low-count) collected from leaf tissue of individual plants of big bluestem (n = 4) and sand bluestem (n = 4). Focused on low-count transcripts, we compare alternative ad-hoc data filtering techniques commonly used in RNA-seq pipelines and assess the inferential performance of recently developed statistical methods for DE analysis, namely DESeq2 and edgeR robust. These methods attempt to overcome the inherently noisy behavior of low-count transcripts by either shrinkage or differential weighting of observations, respectively.ResultsBoth DE methods seemed to properly control family-wise type 1 error on low-count transcripts, whereas edgeR robust showed greater power and DESeq2 showed greater precision and accuracy. However, specification of the degree of freedom parameter under edgeR robust had a non-trivial impact on inference and should be handled carefully. When properly specified, both DE methods showed overall promising inferential performance on low-count transcripts, suggesting that ad-hoc data filtering steps at arbitrary expression thresholds may be unnecessary. A note of caution is in order regarding the approximate nature of DE tests under both methods.ConclusionsPractical recommendations for DE inference are provided when low-count RNA-seq transcripts are of interest, as is the case in the comparison of subspecies of bluestem grasses. Insights from this study may also be relevant to other applications focused on transcripts of low expression levels.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2442-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Assessment of Metal Pollution of Soil and Diagnostic Species Associated with Oil Spills in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

An ecological impact assessment of crude-oil spills was carried out on the environment of an oil-rich community in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Samples of the topsoil (0−15 cm), subsoil (15−25 cm) and the dominant species Gamba grass ( Andropogon gayanus ) were collected using the transect method from the point of spills. The samples were also collected from an unimpacted location (control). The samples were wet-digested and the concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu, and Zn were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry, while the physico-chemical properties of the topsoil were determined by standard methods. The data were subjected to Student t test, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis, and the models for pollution assessment were employed to assess the pollution status of the soil and plant species. The results showed that concentrations of Pb, Cu and Zn in the topsoil exceeded international standards at close proximity to point of spills (0−200 m), while Cd concentrations exceeded the international standard at all the locations. Only Cd exceeded the international standard in the subsoil. Contamination ( P i ) and integrated pollution ( P c ) indices of the topsoil showed reducing trends from the point of pollution, and locations at 0 m and 100 m exhibited high P c , while those at 200 m showed moderate P c by all metals. The levels of Pb and Cd in the diagnostic species exceeded the World Health Organization limits and the pollution load index (PLI) portrayed severe contamination. In conclusion, the impact of crude-oil spills in the area was significant; soil remediation is important to avert ecological and human health disasters. Moreover, these findings will be useful for designing strategic measures for environmental control in the area. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.71.3.12474

Desempenho e comportamento de caprinos em pastagem de capim-Andropógon sob diferentes ofertas de forragem

This study was accomplished to evaluate the behavior and performance of goats in to grazing on grass Andropogon gayanus Kunth var. Bisquamulatus (Hochst) Hack. cv. Planaltina submitted to three forage allowances: 11, 15 and 19% BW/day, under continuous grazing. The experimental design to assess the grazing behaviour was randomized blocks in a split-plot with five replicates within the block. In the plots, we evaluated the effect of forage allowances and in the subplots, the months May and June. While for evaluation of animal performance was in complete block design with five replicates within the block. The different forage allowance did not cause structural changes in the pasture, except in height. However, there was an increase of dead material, leaf/stem ratio and reducing of height during the grazing period. The behavioral variables were not affected by forage allowance, except for the time of displacement, whereby goats spent more time in pastures with offer of 11% BW. The goats remained most part of the time in grazing and idle, corresponding to 89% and 5% of the evaluation time, respectively. Higher bit rate was observed in June, among the offerings, and 15 and 19% BW. The ingestive and grazing behaviour in goats is changed by the accumulation of dead material and stem in pasture from Andropogon grass during at rainy season. The forage supply 11% of BW increases the time of displacement of goats grazing on Andropogon grass. The management of grazing Andropogon grass with forage allowance being 11 and 19% of BW provides low weight gains in goats during the rainy season.

Vegetative Reproduction and Bud Bank Dynamics of the Perennial Grass Andropogon gerardii in Mixedgrass and Tallgrass Prairie

Abstract Plant species with wide distributions may differ in their population dynamics across their range, especially in contrasting habitats. Most tiller recruitment of perennial grasses occurs vegetatively from the belowground bud bank rather than from seed. Seed reproduction often occurs under a narrower range of environmental conditions than vegetative reproduction. As a result flowering and seedling recruitment patterns of a species often differ between contrasting habitats and across its range. How vegetative reproduction and bud bank dynamics of a species vary between contrasting habitats has not been well studied and could explain the differences in its persistence and productivity between habitats. Therefore, the vegetative reproduction and dynamics of Andropogon gerardii, a dominant C4 perennial grass of the Great Plains of North America, were compared between tallgrass and northern mixedgrass prairie habitats. Bud production and tiller recruitment in 10 populations were examined throughout an a...

Monitoring the Distribution and Dynamics of an Invasive Grass in Tropical Savanna Using Airborne LiDAR

The spread of an alien invasive grass (gamba grass—Andropogon gayanus) in the tropical savannas of Northern Australia is a major threat to habitat quality and biodiversity in the region, primarily through its influence on fire intensity. Effective control and eradication of this invader requires better insight into its spatial distribution and rate of spread to inform management actions. We used full-waveform airborne LiDAR to map areas of known A. gayanus invasion in the Batchelor region of the Northern Territory, Australia. Our stratified sampling campaign included wooded savanna areas with differing degrees of A. gayanus invasion and adjacent areas of native grass and woody tree mixtures. We used height and spatial contiguity based metrics to classify returns from A. gayanus and developed spatial representations of A. gayanus occurrence (1 m resolution) and canopy cover (10 m resolution). The cover classification proved robust against two independent field-based investigations at 500 m2 (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 12.53) and 100 m2 (R2 = 0.79, RMSE = 14.13) scale. Our mapping results provide a solid benchmark for evaluating the rate and pattern of A. gayanus spread from future LiDAR campaigns. In addition, this high-resolution mapping can be used to inform satellite image analysis for the evaluation of A. gayanus invasion over broader regional scales. Our research highlights the huge potential that airborne LiDAR holds for facilitating the monitoring and management of savanna habitat condition.

English

From 2008 to 2010, the effect of a wind erosion-alleviating practice, that is, planting of windbreaks of the perennial grass Andropogon gayanus Kunth on the populations of millet stem borer (MSB) Coniesta ignefusalis (Hampson) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) and the damage induced by this pest to pearl millet, was studied at Sadore (Niger). The extent of bored stems in the A. gayanus hedge bordering millet plots (23% on average) was significantly lower than in the millet plots (76% on average), with no MSB larva recovered, compared to an average of 2.2 larvae per stem in the millet plots over the three years. Andropogon grass was thus ruled out as a trap crop for MSB management. Under the conditions of this study, a pest regulation service by Andropogon grass hedges, synergistic with a potential wind erosion alleviating service, cannot be put forward.   Key words: Coniesta ignefusalis, Andropogon gayanus, trap cropping, wind erosion, Niger.

Ingestive Behavior of Cows in Pastures Andropogon gayanus and Brachiaria decumbens in Southern State of Piauí, Brazil

The research was conducted at the experimental farm of the Agricultural College of Bom Jesus, which is located at 135 km 3 BR, in the region of the valley Gurguéia southern state of Piauí. We used 10 crossbred cows of Holstein x Gir. The experimental design was completely randomized with two treatments (the pastures of grasses Andropogon gayanus and Brachiaria decumbens), with five replicates (five animals per treatment). The trial lasted five days. Two evaluations were made with duration of 24 hours each, conducted during a day, and the average of the two ratings was used in the statistical analyzes. The evaluations were performed on 20 to 24 July 2013. The cows grazed more time in the morning around 7-10 hours and late afternoon extending into the night with peak until 19:00 hours. The idle time was greater at the end of the night that matches the period of reduced grazing activity. The cows grazed more time during the day in the pasture of Brachiaria decumbens (8.53 hours) compared to pasture Andropogon gayanus (8.03 hours). With respect to time grazing night, the situation was reversed, the animals grazed longer during the day and slowed down during the night (3.16 hours grazing) in the pasture of Brachiaria decumbens. The animals had a higher number of bits (14128.92) in grazing Brachiaria decumbens compared to Andropogon gayanus (10134.00).

Produção de Andropogon gayanus consorciado com espécies leguminosas, adubadas com fósforo

Na bovinocultura de corte uma alternativa viável para reverter os processos de degradação das pastagens e aumentar a disponibilidade de alimentos para os animais é a adoção do consórcio entre gramíneas e leguminosas. Objetivou-se nesse estudo avaliar o rendimento de matéria seca de capim andropógon em diferentes idades, consorciadas duas espécies de leguminosas sob níveis de adubação fosfatada. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos ao acaso em esquema fatorial 2 x 4 +1, sendo o fator principal duas espécies de leguminosas (Calopogonium mucunoides e Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Campo Grande), o fator secundário, doses de fósforo (0, 50, 100, 200 kg ha-1 de P2O5) e um tratamento adicional não consorciado e sem adubação fosfatada, com 4 repetições. Os resultados mostram que a aplicação isolada de fósforo melhorou o rendimento de biomassa no capim andropógon consorciado com as leguminosas, que o plantio consorciado de andropógon produziu mais biomassa total que o monocultivo e que os teores de P, Ca2+, Mg2+ e CTC no solo foram maiores no consócio de capim andropógon com estilosantes.

Elevated carbon dioxide and fire reduce biomass of native grass species when grown in competition with invasive exotic grasses in a savanna experimental system

Invasive exotic grasses are known to increase fire severity and frequency in a number of fire prone systems. If elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increases growth rates and biomass production of these grasses, or increases their competitive ability, fire regimes may be further affected with detrimental consequences for native vegetation composition and diversity. Mesocosms containing three invasive exotic C4 grasses (Andropogon gayanus, Cenchrus polystachios, Cenchrus ciliaris), and three native C4 grasses (Heteropogon triticeus, Heteropogon contortus, Eriachne triseta), all from savanna woodlands of northern Australia, were grown as mixtures in field soil in glasshouses under elevated (700 ppm) and ambient (385 ppm) CO2, burnt and assessed for resprouting response. We found no effect of elevated CO2 on community biomass, however biomass of the invasive exotic grasses was much greater than that of native grasses at both CO2 concentrations. Species’ responses to elevated CO2 were varied. Two native grasses (H. triticeus and H. contortus) had significantly less biomass under elevated compared with ambient CO2 after burning, indicating an effect of elevated CO2 on resprouting response of these species when grown in competition. These results suggest that although overall productivity of this community may not change with increases in CO2 and fire frequency, community composition and species interactions in this fire-prone community may alter, shifting to a more exotic-dominated community and potentially resulting in an intensified fire frequency due to positive feedbacks.

English

Sub-adult earthworms, Eudrilus, Eugenae were cultured for 100 days in rubber containers made from old tyres to determine the plant nutrient release composition in vermicompost using different organic diets. The diets are Andropogon grass + Pig manure (AGPM) Andropogon grass (AG), Bracharia grass + pig manure (BGPM) and Bracharia grass (BG). Result of the study show that the produced vermicompost in each diet consisted mostly of high quality humus with favorable pH level and high cat ion exchange capacity (CEC) which varied with the diets. Pig manure enhanced the CEC of the vermicompost by 114.82%. Available P, exchangeable Ca and Mg were significantly (p = 0.05) increased in the vermicompost and varied among the various diet treatments. Available P was greatest with Andropogon vermicompost relative to the Bracharia vermicompost. Pig manure enhanced the release of available P of Andropogon vermicompost by over 185% and over 1000% in Bracharia vermicompost relative to the grass vermicompost alone. Exchangeable Ca and Mg of Bracharia vermicompost was enhanced 32 and 74% respectively by Pig manure. Results of the study also show increase in earthworm biomass production and cocoon size in the vermicompost which varied among the diet treatments and non-significant difference among the vermicompost in water holding capacity. Weight loss from composition and decomposition rate was highest in BG relative to BGPM, AG and AGPM. Average decomposition rate of the grass diet was 75.25%. Earthworm (Eudrilus eugenae) through its activities increased the rate of decomposition and degradation of organic wastes and is effective in plant nutrient release if subjected to proper culturing with suitable feed materials. Key words: Eudrilus eugenae, vermicompost, Brancharia grass, Andropogon grass.

Características morfogênicas e estruturais do capim-andropogon sob irrigação e adubação

It was evaluated the effects of different irrigation and nitrogen (N) doses on morphogenesis and structural Andropogon grass (Andropogon gayanus cv. Planaltina). The study was conducted in period from August to December, 2007 in experimental area of EMBRAPA Meio-Norte, located in city of Parnaíba, Piauí, Brazil. The treatments consisted of two irrigation levels (equivalent to replacement of 50% and 80% of the Class A pan evaporation - ECA) and four doses of nitrogen (equivalent to 200, 400, 600 and 800 kg N/ha/year) in a randomized block design in factorial 2 x 4 with three replications. The nitrogen in the form of urea was applied according to the amounts specified in the treatments (16.7, 33.3, 50.0 and 66.7 kg N/cut). The reduction in water depth provided decreases in leaf elongation rate, leaf appearance, final leaf length and number of life leaves, while the rate of senescence increases. Fertilization increased the leaf elongation rate and leaf appearance. However, tended to reduce the number of life of leaves and expand the level senescence.

Biomassa microbiana e matéria orgânica em áreas desertificadas revegetadas com pinhão-manso solteiro e consorciado com gramínea no Sul do Piauí

This study evaluated the microbial biomass and organic matter in reforested areas with Jatropha single and intercropped with grass Andropogon gayanos L. and a desertified area in Southern Piauí. The planting of Jatropha curcas and the Jatropha consortium with grass Andropogon contributes towards improving the carbon and nitrogen and soil microbial biomass and organic matter lightly. In the 0,10-0,20 m depth in the consortium of jatropha with Andropogon grass, biomass by the contribution of the root system of the grass Andropogon promoted slight increase in organic matter and microbial biomass carbon. Thus revegetation with single and intercropping jatropha with grass Andropogon gayanos L. is an alternative in improving soil properties in desertified areas.