Impacts of mulch on prairie seedling establishment: Facilitative to inhibitory effects

Mollard, Federico P.O.; Naeth, M. Anne; Cohen-Fernandez, Anayansi

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2014.01.012

Cited by 18 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…; Mollard et al. ). Lower temperatures, coupled with higher soil moisture, favour microbial activity and steadier decomposition rates, adding nutrients to the soil (Athy et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass

Silva

Vieira

2017

Applied Vegetation Science

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Aims To address whether seed and seedling functional traits have a significant effect on germination rates and seedling survival in direct‐seeding restoration efforts. We tested the hypotheses that: (1) seed burial only favours the emergence of round seeds; and (2) straw mulching improves soil moisture and prevents the emergence of the invasive grass Urochloa decumbens, promoting the establishment of native tree seedlings. Location Experimental field, Central Brazil. Savanna, recently dominated by exotic pasture. Methods We evaluated the effects of seed burial (surface and buried) and mulching (no‐mulch, 5‐cm straw mulch and 10‐cm straw mulch) on the emergence, survival and growth of 16 species of native Cerrado tree species with variable seed sizes and shapes and seedling types. Thirty seeds of each species were sown per treatment combination in three blocks. Results Seed burial did not affect the emergence of species with round seeds, but negatively affected species with flat seeds and phanerocotylar–epigeal–foliaceous seedlings. Straw mulching reduced the emergence of flat seeds and phanerocotylar seedlings, but increased soil moisture and strongly reduced U. decumbens emergence, resulting in a higher growth rate of tree seedlings up to 1 yr for five species. Conclusion Direct seeding is an effective technique to plant a mixture of Cerrado tree species for restoration, provided the soil is well prepared and there are mechanisms to control invasive species.

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“…; Mollard et al. ). Lower temperatures, coupled with higher soil moisture, favour microbial activity and steadier decomposition rates, adding nutrients to the soil (Athy et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…All these improvements in microsite conditions and resources increase seedling emergence, survival and growth (for an example in prairie, see Mollard et al. ; in dense shrubby heathland, Benigno et al. ; in forests in the Alps, Breton et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass

Silva

Vieira

2017

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…; Mollard et al . ). Also, the origin of the litter layer may have different effects depending on its physical structure: a more interwoven thread‐like structure, such as grass litter, may have a more negative effect on emergence than the presence of a layer of litter composed of small flat pieces, such as that from deciduous tree leaves (Donath & Eckstein ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The presence of a thick litter layer may reduce seedling emergence, while moderate or low amounts of litter may enhance emergence (e.g. Xiong et al 2001;Donath & Eckstein 2012;Schmiede et al 2013;Mollard et al 2014). Also, the origin of the litter layer may have different effects depending on its physical structure: a more interwoven thread-like structure, such as grass litter, may have a more negative effect on emergence than the presence of a layer of litter composed of small flat pieces, such as that from deciduous tree leaves .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negative and positive interactions among plants: effects of competitors and litter on seedling emergence and growth of forest and grassland species

et al. 2014

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Living plant neighbours, but also their dead aboveground remains (i.e. litter), may individually exert negative or positive effects on plant recruitment. Although living plants and litter co-occur in most ecosystems, few studies have addressed their combined effects, and conclusions are ambivalent. Therefore, we examined the response in terms of seedling emergence and growth of herbaceous grassland and forest species to different litter types and amounts and the presence of competitors. We conducted a pot experiment testing the effects of litter type (grass, oak), litter amount (low, medium, high) and interspecific competition (presence or absence of four Festuca arundinacea individuals) on seedling emergence and biomass of four congeneric pairs of hemicryptophytes from two habitat types (woodland, grassland). Interactions between litter and competition were weak. Litter presence increased competitor biomass. It also had positive effects on seedling emergence at low litter amounts and negative effects at high litter amounts, while competition had no effect on seedling emergence. Seedling biomass was negatively affected by the presence of competitors, and this effect was stronger in combination with high amounts of litter. Litter affected seedling emergence while competition determined the biomass of the emerged individuals, both affecting early stages of seedling recruitment. High litter accumulation also reduced seedling biomass, but this effect seemed to be additive to competitor effects. This suggests that live and dead plant mass can affect species recruitment in natural systems, but the mechanisms by which they operate and their timing differ.

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“…Mulumba and Lal [7], showed that mulch rate significantly affect available water capacity of the soil by 18-35%. Seedling survival and establishment of E. trachycaulus and L. luwisii was improved by 80% and 88% respectively when low straw and hay mulch was applied [8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Mulching and Irrigation Practices on Cocoa Seedling Survival and Field Establishment

Akpalu¹,

Ofosu-Budu²,

Kumaga³

et al. 2020

JAC

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Irrigation experiments of cocoa tend to concentrate on yield of matured cocoa trees compared to field establishment of young seedlings. Seedling survival leading to optimum population density are fundamental to obtaining maximum yield of crops. The aim of this experiment was to determine the effect of mulching and irrigation on survival of hybrid cocoa clone raised in three different growing media during the establishment phase. The experimental design was a 2 x 2 x 3 factorial arranged in a split-split plot design, with irrigation as the main plot factor, mulching as the subplot factor and growing media as the sub-sub plot factor with three replications. Cocoa pod husk (CPH) was used as the mulching material and each plant received 5kg at a rate of 5.6 t/ha. Irrigation was done daily by applying 4L of water except when it rains. Data was collected on soil moisture, plant height, leaf number, stem girth and plant survival. Results indicated that irrigation and mulching significantly (P<0.01) enhanced soil moisture. Cocoa seedlings raised in topsoil, mulched and irrigated significantly (P<0.05) increased survival rate (94.5%) compared to seedlings raised in soil without irrigation and no mulching (47.1%). Similarly, the survival rate of seedlings raised in growing media M2, mulched and irrigated (93.0%) was significantly (P<0.05) higher than similar seedlings without irrigation (73.4%). However, the survival rate of seedlings raised in M3 without mulching but irrigated was significantly (<0.05) higher 92.1% compared to seedlings raised in M3 mulched and irrigated 67.1%. Irrigation is very important in ensuring high survival rate during early field establishment. Mulching with cocoa pod husk without irrigation did not improve cocoa seedling survival.

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Impacts of mulch on prairie seedling establishment: Facilitative to inhibitory effects

Cited by 18 publications

References 23 publications

Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass

Direct seeding of 16 Brazilian savanna trees: responses to seed burial, mulching and an invasive grass

Negative and positive interactions among plants: effects of competitors and litter on seedling emergence and growth of forest and grassland species

Mulching and Irrigation Practices on Cocoa Seedling Survival and Field Establishment

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