The ecological characterization of Kongwa weed (Astripomoea hyoscyamoides) in Kongwa district
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Date
2023
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Rangeland Society of Tanzania (RST)
Abstract
Kongwa weed (Astripomoea hyoscyamoides) is a noxious weed
that is known to reduce the productivity of both livestock and
crops in the semi-arid areas of central Tanzania. Despite the
known negative effects of the weed, its ecological characteristics
is less documented. The current study characterized the
ecological features of the weed in relation to land use and soil
properties. The study used range inventory approach to assess
influence of land use types and soil textural classes on abundance
and growth of kongwa weed. Results revealed that Kongwa weed
was significantly higher in grazing land compared to other land
uses which was attributed to the effect of heavy grazing. The low
species diversity and evenness in the grazing land was also
associated to the dominance of Kongwa weed. On the other hand,
low abundance of weed in bush land was attributed to limited
light intensity as result of increased woody canopy. It was found
that Kongwa weed preferred acidic soils (with the pH of 5.35
recorded from grazing land) that are compacted (with bulk
density of 1.57g/100m3) and composed of low organic
matter/carbon (0.93% recorded from grazing land). Nevertheless,
low growth rate of weed in clay soil could probably due the
notable high bulky density that lower infiltration rate. The study
recommended further research to investigate effect of grazing management and fertilization on growth and dominance of
Kongwa weed under different soil types.
Description
Healthy Rangelands for Sustainable Natural Resource Productivity
Keywords
ecological features, grazing pressure, land uses, Kongwa weed, soil properties