Research NoteEarly survival and growth of vegetatively propagated indigenous grasses in a clear-felled timber plantation in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Abstract

Transformation of natural landscapes can result in the local extinction of many plant species. If the new land use is discontinued, many original species will not recolonise the area, necessitating their reintroduction for rehabilitation purposes. One method is to fragment local grass tufts into tillers and plant these into the degraded area. This project determined the survival and growth rates of various grass species planted into a recently cleared pine plantation near Nottingham Road, South Africa. Tufts of twelve grass species were collected locally, fragmented, kept on a mist bed for four weeks, and planted. Plants from all species were alive after nine months, although the average survival rate varied between species (from 92% for Eragrostis curvula to 39% for E. racemosa). Tuft area differed between species. The often-invasive species E. curvula had the highest average survival rate and the largest tuft area. The often-dominant, unpalatable Aristida junciformis demonstrated surprisingly low survival and growth rates. Themeda triandra and Tristachya leucothrix, species often dominating good-condition native grasslands, had average survival rates of 82% and 65%, respectively. This study indicates that tuft fragmentation and replanting is a useful way to re-establish locally extinct grass species into transformed habitats,  but that success rates are species-specific.

African Journal of Range & Forage Science 2009, 26(2): 97–101