Effects of suppression applications of summer asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus Roth.) on yield, quality and vegetation change in Aegean rangelands

Abstract

Summer asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus Roth.) has an underground storage organ that enables the plant to survive extreme conditions and contains alkaloids that are toxic for the livestock in rangelands. For this reason, the experiment was carried out in the rangeland of Aydin province (Turkey) in order to determine the most effective methods of weed management where there is an increase in summer asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus Roth.) population. In the study, the effects of 8 different control methods (control, mowing, fertilization, paraquat, glyphosate, 2,4-D, 2,4-D + Picloram, removal from the soil) on yield, quality and botanical composition were investigated. Result of the findings in this study shows that the grasses increased more in vegetation. The highest values of hay yield were observed in paraquat and fertilization applications. High values of crude protein yield were found in fertilization and removal from soil applications. The lowest population of summer asphodel (Asphodelus aestivus Roth.) was obtained removal from soil applications. Together with these results, removal from the soil, fertilization, paraquat and glyphosate applications come to the fore. However, due to the high workforce, it is important to choose an application considering the size of the rangeland and the population of the indicator weed species.