ISSN:
1365-2494
Quelle:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Thema:
Land- und Forstwirtschaft, Gartenbau, Fischereiwirtschaft, Hauswirtschaft
Notizen:
Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) is a major weed of considerable economic concern in upland pastures in Bulgaria and elsewhere in Europe. Between 1993 and 1998, a field experiment was carried out to test methods for restoring productive meadows. Initially, spraying asulam (4·8 kg a.i. ha−1) was used to control the bracken on the site; this was achieved in terms of reduced frond densities and a higher level of grassland establishment. This grassland was dominated by Vicia cassubica and the perennial grasses Agrostis vulgaris, Dactylis glomerata, Festuca rubra, Holcus lanatus and Poa pratensis.After 2 years, a fertilizer addition experiment was started with four treatments (no fertilizer; addition of phosphorus; addition of nitrogen and phosphorus; addition of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The phosphorus and potassium fertilizers were applied annually in the early spring at 80 kg of P ha−1 year−1 and 50 kg of K ha−1 year−1, and nitrogen was added at the start of grass growth at 60 kg of N ha−1 year−1. At the same time, a twice-yearly hay-cutting regime was implemented. Fertilizer addition increased both the quantity and the quality of the resulting grassland. The herbage dry matter was increased by at least a factor of two depending on fertilizer combination, and there was an increase in grass and legume cover and a decrease in both weed cover and bracken recovery. However, although bracken recovery was inversely related to grassland production, there was a consistent increase in bracken density across all treatments between 1997 and 1998, suggesting that increasing herbage biomass merely delays bracken recovery. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Materialart:
Digitale Medien
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2494.2001.00258.x
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