Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands

Abstract Progressive loss of productivity and plant diversity is a concern in global rangelands. In African rangelands, this process is partly attributed to heavy and uncontrolled grazing by livestock and wildlife, leading to land degradation. Therefore, restoring such degraded rangelands is critica...

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Autores principales:	Kevin Z. Mganga, Eric Kaindi, Aphaxard J.N. Ndathi, Luwieke Bosma, Theophilus Kioko, Nancy Kadenyi, Stephen M. Wambua, Frank vanSteenbergen, Nashon K.R. Musimba
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Wiley 2021
Materias:	aboveground biomass basal cover plant density plant structure reseeding seed production Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/f91ade54ca1f4c6785827680f1bfd00a
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:f91ade54ca1f4c6785827680f1bfd00a2021-11-16T08:30:39ZMorphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands2688-831910.1002/2688-8319.12078https://doaj.org/article/f91ade54ca1f4c6785827680f1bfd00a2021-04-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1002/2688-8319.12078https://doaj.org/toc/2688-8319Abstract Progressive loss of productivity and plant diversity is a concern in global rangelands. In African rangelands, this process is partly attributed to heavy and uncontrolled grazing by livestock and wildlife, leading to land degradation. Therefore, restoring such degraded rangelands is critical for enhancing ecosystem health and securing the livelihoods of millions of people. Active restoration strategies, for example, reseeding using indigenous perennial grasses, have been identified as a viable ecological solution for restoring degraded African rangelands. Grass species indigenous to African rangelands Cenchrus ciliaris L. (African foxtail grass), Eragrostis superba Peyr. (Maasai love grass), Enteropogon macrostachyus (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Monro ex Benth. (Bush rye grass), Chloris roxburghiana Schult. (Horsetail grass) and Chloris gayana Kunth. cv Boma (Rhodes grass) were established in a semi‐arid rangeland in Africa under natural conditions to compare their morphoecological characteristics and suitability for use in ecological restoration. Biomass dry matter yields, plant densities, basal cover, seed production, tiller densities and plant height were measured. Chloris gayana cv Boma and E. superba produced significantly higher dry matter biomass yields and attained higher seed production than other species. High biomass and seed production indicate their suitability to support livestock production and replenish depleted soil seed banks, respectively. Enteropogon macrostachyus and C. ciliaris displayed significantly higher values for components of establishment and ecological restoration success, that is, plant densities, tiller densities and basal cover. Overall, C. roxburghiana ranked lowest in the measured morphoecological characteristics. Successful restoration of degraded African semi‐arid rangelands using indigenous grass reseeding can best be achieved through careful selection of grasses to take advantage of their specific morphoecological characteristics. This selection should primarily be informed by the intended use of the rangeland and the specific challenges of restoring each site.Kevin Z. MgangaEric KaindiAphaxard J.N. NdathiLuwieke BosmaTheophilus KiokoNancy KadenyiStephen M. WambuaFrank vanSteenbergenNashon K.R. MusimbaWileyarticleaboveground biomassbasal coverplant densityplant structurereseedingseed productionEnvironmental sciencesGE1-350EcologyQH540-549.5ENEcological Solutions and Evidence, Vol 2, Iss 2, Pp n/a-n/a (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	aboveground biomass basal cover plant density plant structure reseeding seed production Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	aboveground biomass basal cover plant density plant structure reseeding seed production Environmental sciences GE1-350 Ecology QH540-549.5 Kevin Z. Mganga Eric Kaindi Aphaxard J.N. Ndathi Luwieke Bosma Theophilus Kioko Nancy Kadenyi Stephen M. Wambua Frank vanSteenbergen Nashon K.R. Musimba Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
description	Abstract Progressive loss of productivity and plant diversity is a concern in global rangelands. In African rangelands, this process is partly attributed to heavy and uncontrolled grazing by livestock and wildlife, leading to land degradation. Therefore, restoring such degraded rangelands is critical for enhancing ecosystem health and securing the livelihoods of millions of people. Active restoration strategies, for example, reseeding using indigenous perennial grasses, have been identified as a viable ecological solution for restoring degraded African rangelands. Grass species indigenous to African rangelands Cenchrus ciliaris L. (African foxtail grass), Eragrostis superba Peyr. (Maasai love grass), Enteropogon macrostachyus (Hochst. Ex A. Rich.) Monro ex Benth. (Bush rye grass), Chloris roxburghiana Schult. (Horsetail grass) and Chloris gayana Kunth. cv Boma (Rhodes grass) were established in a semi‐arid rangeland in Africa under natural conditions to compare their morphoecological characteristics and suitability for use in ecological restoration. Biomass dry matter yields, plant densities, basal cover, seed production, tiller densities and plant height were measured. Chloris gayana cv Boma and E. superba produced significantly higher dry matter biomass yields and attained higher seed production than other species. High biomass and seed production indicate their suitability to support livestock production and replenish depleted soil seed banks, respectively. Enteropogon macrostachyus and C. ciliaris displayed significantly higher values for components of establishment and ecological restoration success, that is, plant densities, tiller densities and basal cover. Overall, C. roxburghiana ranked lowest in the measured morphoecological characteristics. Successful restoration of degraded African semi‐arid rangelands using indigenous grass reseeding can best be achieved through careful selection of grasses to take advantage of their specific morphoecological characteristics. This selection should primarily be informed by the intended use of the rangeland and the specific challenges of restoring each site.
format	article
author	Kevin Z. Mganga Eric Kaindi Aphaxard J.N. Ndathi Luwieke Bosma Theophilus Kioko Nancy Kadenyi Stephen M. Wambua Frank vanSteenbergen Nashon K.R. Musimba
author_facet	Kevin Z. Mganga Eric Kaindi Aphaxard J.N. Ndathi Luwieke Bosma Theophilus Kioko Nancy Kadenyi Stephen M. Wambua Frank vanSteenbergen Nashon K.R. Musimba
author_sort	Kevin Z. Mganga
title	Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
title_short	Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
title_full	Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
title_fullStr	Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
title_full_unstemmed	Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands
title_sort	morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid african rangelands
publisher	Wiley
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/f91ade54ca1f4c6785827680f1bfd00a
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Morphoecological characteristics of grasses used to restore degraded semi‐arid African rangelands

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