Abstract
Summary. Austral bracken ( Pteridium esculentum ) has a major impact on forestry and the pastoral industries in Australia and New Zealand, as does P. aquilinum in parts of the northern hemisphere. There is a large body of, often conflicting, evidence on the toxicity of P. aquilinum to growth of other plants but there is little evidence for P. esculentum . Control of bracken is currently expensive and difficult to maintain as there is neither a marketable product based on bracken, nor a significant use for it on site. Current interest in commercial uses for bracken as mulch or compost requires analysis of the effects of bracken fronds on germination and growth of a representative range of plants. We report the effects of a mulch of chopped recently-dead (standing) bracken fronds on germination and early growth (to 9 or 12 weeks) of white mustard ( Sinapis alba ), of the improved pasture species, white clover ( Trifolium repens ) and perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne ), and of 2 native woodland species brown barrel ( Eucalyptus fastigata ) and yellow teatree ( Leptospermum polygalifolium ). A control mulch was prepared from chopped recently-dead bracken fronds by boiling and washing to extract possible allelochemicals and destroy associated microbiota. Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%). Shoot length of perennial ryegrass and brown barrel, and leaf number and leaf size of brown barrel were more markedly enhanced (=30%) by the application of bracken mulch. In contrast, bracken mulch reduced germination of yellow teatree to 25%, and leaf number, during early growth, to about one-third of that in the controls. The effects of bracken mulch may be due to release of active phytochemicals and mineral nutrients, with or without mediation by associated microflora including mycorrhizae. These glasshouse experiments suggest that recently-dead fronds of P. esculentum may prove a generally useful mulch, although monitoring for adverse effects on establishment and growth of particular species will be required.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch moderately stimulated white mustard seedling growth by 8–20%.
- Taxon
- white mustard
Sinapis albae0 - Treatment
- Bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- bracken
Pteridium aquilinume1other - Outcome
- seedling growthe1
- Direction
- stimulatede1
- Value
- 8–20%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“white mustard ( Sinapis alba )”
e1“Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%).”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch moderately stimulated white clover seedling growth by 8–20%.
- Taxon
- white clover
Trifolium repense0 - Treatment
- Bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- seedling growthe1
- Direction
- stimulatede1
- Value
- 8–20%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“white clover ( Trifolium repens )”
e1“Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%).”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch moderately stimulated perennial ryegrass seedling growth by 8–20%.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrass
Lolium perennee0 - Treatment
- Bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- seedling growthe1
- Direction
- stimulatede1
- Value
- 8–20%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne )”
e1“Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%).”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch moderately stimulated brown barrel seedling growth by 8–20%.
- Taxon
- brown barrele0
- Treatment
- Bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- seedling growthe1
- Direction
- stimulatede1
- Value
- 8–20%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brown barrel ( Eucalyptus fastigata )”
e1“Bracken mulch stimulated seedling growth of white mustard, white clover, perennial ryegrass and brown barrel to a statistically significant, although moderate, extent (8–20%).”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch enhanced perennial ryegrass shoot length by about 30%.
- Taxon
- perennial ryegrassLolium perennee0
- Treatment
- bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- Shoot lengthe1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Value
- =30%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne )”
e1“Shoot length of perennial ryegrass and brown barrel, and leaf number and leaf size of brown barrel were more markedly enhanced (=30%) by the application of bracken mulch.”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch enhanced brown barrel shoot length, leaf number, and leaf size by about 30%.
- Taxon
- brown barrele0
- Treatment
- bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- Shoot length of perennial ryegrass and brown barrel, and leaf number and leaf size of brown barrele1
- Direction
- enhancede1
- Value
- =30%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“brown barrel ( Eucalyptus fastigata )”
e1“Shoot length of perennial ryegrass and brown barrel, and leaf number and leaf size of brown barrel were more markedly enhanced (=30%) by the application of bracken mulch.”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch reduced yellow teatree germination to 25%.
- Taxon
- yellow teatreee0
- Treatment
- bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- germination of yellow teatreee1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- 25%e1
- Comparator
- controlse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yellow teatree ( Leptospermum polygalifolium )”
e1“bracken mulch reduced germination of yellow teatree to 25%, and leaf number, during early growth, to about one-third of that in the controls.”
Claim · model-written summary
Bracken mulch reduced yellow teatree leaf number to about one-third of controls.
- Taxon
- yellow teatreee0
- Treatment
- bracken mulche1
- Interactor
- brackenPteridium aquilinume1other
- Outcome
- leaf numbere1
- Direction
- reducede1
- Value
- one-thirde1
- Qualifier
- during early growthe1
- Comparator
- controlse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“yellow teatree ( Leptospermum polygalifolium )”
e1“bracken mulch reduced germination of yellow teatree to 25%, and leaf number, during early growth, to about one-third of that in the controls.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors suggest recently-dead P. esculentum fronds may be useful mulch, subject to monitoring for adverse species effects.
- Taxon
- P. esculentum
Pteridium esculentume0 - Outcome
- generally useful mulche1
- Qualifier
- monitoring for adverse effects on establishment and growth of particular speciese1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“recently-dead fronds of P. esculentum may prove”
e1“recently-dead fronds of P. esculentum may prove a generally useful mulch, although monitoring for adverse effects on establishment and growth of particular species will be required.”
The same questions in other papers
Pteridium aquilinum · growth · Trifolium repens (white clover)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- no effect
mulching · growth · Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
mulching · growth · Sinapis alba (white mustard)Results agree
2 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.