Grazing with bovines as a control tool for Privet (Ligustrum lucidum) in park forest

Abstract

de Santiago, F., Bresciano, D., Del Pino, L., Castagna, A., Blumetto, O. 2019. Evaluation of the effect of grazing with bovines as a control tool for privet (Ligustrum lucidum) in park forest. Ecosistemas 28(2): 109-115. Doi.: 10.7818/ECOS.1673

Invasive alien species constitute one of the most important threats to the conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem processes. A specie that stound out In Uruguay and other temperate zones, is the privet (Ligustrum lucidum W.T. Aiton); an Asian species with great adaptability and characteristics that make it a successful colonizer. Seeds production is its main reproductive strategy, so the herbivore consumption could contribute to reduce the recruitment of seedlings. The objective of this work was to evaluate the use of bovine grazing as a tool to reduce the progress of this species in park forest ecosystems. An experiment was carried out at Las Brujas Experimental Station, of the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), Uruguay. The experimental area consisted of 4 paddocks assigned to two treatments of different intensities of cows grazing (initial allowance of 5 kg and 3 kg of grass dry matter / kg of animal body weight). During winter and spring 2016 and summer 2017, six plots of 1 m2 were sampled in each paddock. In each sampling station, the total number of plants, height, number of leaves, presence of apical bud and presence of other buds were recorded. Although there was no negative effect on the final number of plants, there was defoliation and cut of buds due to the effect of grazing, which could have a retarding effect on growth. The treatment with higher grazing intensity had more apical buds cutting, but, in both cases, the sprouts were grazed. Grazing, under these conditions, did not result in an effective tool for privet control. However, it is worthwhile to go deeper into studies where grazing pressure is maintained during longer periods of time.