Impact of invasive Lantana camara on maize and cassava growth in East Usambara, Tanzania

• Published in: Plant-environment interactions (Hoboken, N.J. : 2018) N.J. : 2018), 2022-10, Vol.3 (5), p.193-202
• Main Authors: Hamad, Amina A., Kashaigili, Japhet J., Eckert, Sandra, Eschen, René, Schaffner, Urs, Mbwambo, John Richard
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Agricultural land; Agricultural production; Allelochemicals; Allelopathy; Cassava; Cereal crops; Corn; Crop fields; Crop growth; Crops; East Usambara; Farmers; Flowers & plants; Forests; Indigenous plants; Indigenous species; Inoculation; invasive alien plant species; Invasive plants; Invasive species; Lantana camara; Microorganisms; Plant species; Plants (botany); Sea level; Soil microorganisms; soil nutrients and microorganisms; Soil types; Soils; Sugarcane
• ISSN: 2575-6265; 2575-6265
• DOI: 10.1002/pei3.10090

The impacts of invasive alien plant species on native plants are generally well documented, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying their impacts on crop growth. A better understanding of immediate as well as legacy effects and of direct and indirect impacts of invasive alien plant species is essential for an improved management of invaded cropland. We investigated how Lantana camara impacts the growth of two subsistence crops (maize and cassava) through competition for resources, allelopathy and the indirect plant–plant interactions. We carried out two pot experiments using soils from invaded abandoned, invaded cultivated and non‐invaded cultivated crop fields. In the first experiment maize and cassava were grown alone or together with L. camara and half of the pots were treated with activated carbon to suppress allelochemicals. The effect of the soil microbial community on L. camara—crop interactions was assessed in a second experiment using autoclaved soil with 5% of soil from the three soil types. We found that L. camara reduced the growth of maize by 29%, but cassava was not affected. We did not find evidence of allelopathic effects of L. camara. Inoculation of autoclaved soil with microorganisms from all soil types increased biomass of cassava and reduced the growth of maize. Because L. camara only caused impacts when growing simultaneously with maize, the results suggest that removal of L. camara will immediately mitigate its negative impacts on maize. The impacts of invasive alien plant species on native plants are generally well documented, but little is known about the mechanisms underlying their impacts on crop growth. We investigated how Lantana camara impacts the growth of maize and cassava through competition for resources, allelopathy and the indirect plant‐plant interactions. Because L. camara only caused impacts when growing simultaneously with maize, the results suggest that removal of L. camara will immediately mitigate its negative impacts on maize.