Seasonal timing of glyphosate application: impacts on native plant communities in a north Australian tropical savanna

摘要

The capacity for a plant community to regenerate after weed management is affected by the impact of both the weed invasion on the community and the management practices implemented. This paper presents preliminary results from an investigation into the effects that the season of glyphosate application has on tropical savanna woodland plant communities. After one wet season, differences in impact between treatments are not apparent for most plant groups; spraying in both the late wet season and the early wet season negatively impact on cover of shrubs, geophytes and perennial grasses. In contrast, late wet season herbicide application produced an increase in cover of annual plants while herbicide application early in the season reduced annual cover.However, continued monitoring over the next wet season is necessary to determine if timing of glyphosate application affects the recovery of different plant groups.