Rehabilitation of grasslands through perennial grass recruitment within existing swards

摘要

Phalaris ( P.aquatica) is an introduced C3 grass species, widely sown in southern Australian temperate regions.Phalaris is drought tolerant,can withstand extended periods of heavy grazing, performs well in poorly drained and waterlogged soils, and provides good quality grazing for all types of livestock.Phalaris is known to produce large quantities of seed, but little recruitment within phalaris stands has been reported (Lodge,2004).When stands thin, encouraging natural recruitment could be more cost‐effective than resowing grasslands.The low natural recruitment of phalaris has been attributed to competition from annual grasses and legumes, preventing the weak phalaris seedling from establishing, and to a high level of seed harvesting by ants.The ideal microsites for recruitment are poorly understood.It is often noted that phalaris spreads naturally along roadsides in south‐eastern Australia though the mechanisms are not understood.This paper presents findings on the recruitment of phalaris within existing pastures.