The traditional control ofImperata brasiliensisgrasslands used by farmers in the Peruvian Amazon is to burn thegrass. The objective of this study was to compare different methods of short-term control. Biological, mechanical,chemical and traditional methods of control were compared. Herbicide spraying and manual weeding have shown tobe very effective in reducing above- and below-groundbiomass growth in thefirst 45 days after slashing the grass, witheffects persisting in the longer term, but both are expensive methods. Shading seems to be less effective in the short-term, whereas it influences theImperatagrowth in the longer term. After one year shading, glyphosate applicationand weeding significantly reduced aboveground biomass by 94, 67 and 53%; and belowground biomass by 76, 65 and58%, respectively, compared to control. We also found a significant decrease ofImperatarhizomes in soil during timeunder shading. Burning has proved to have no significant effect onImperatagrowth. The use of shade trees in a kindof agroforestry system could be a suitable method for small farmers to controlImperatagrasslands.
Ano de publicação
2011
Autores
Lojka B; ?epková P H; Navratilova L; Van Damme P; Banout J; Polesny Z; Preininger D
Idioma
English
Geográfico
Peru
