Abstract

TACUNA, Raúl E; AGUIRRE, Lucrecia  and  FLORES, Enrique R. Influence of revegetation using native species and the incorporation of organic matter in the recovery of degraded rangelands. Ecol. apl. [online]. 2015, vol.14, n.2, pp.191-200. ISSN 1726-2216.

Participatory-Oriented Research was conducted in a mountain ecosystem, dominated by grassland in poor condition, in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. The objective of the experiment was to determine the effect of revegetation with plantlets of two key native grasses (Festuca humilior and Calamagrostis macrophylla) and the addition of organic matter in the form of sheep urine and manure on the recovery of the ecological status of poor condition rangeland. The experimental design was completely randomized with a factorial arrangement of 2 species x 2 with and without the addition of organic matter. The study lasted a year, period during which the changes in vegetation (vigor and mortality), the hydrologic function (rate of infiltration and soil moisture content) and ecological status were studied. The results of the study revealed that the vigor of the Festuca humilior plantlets was greater than that of its Calamagrostis macrophylla counterpart (20 595.3cc vs. 13 295.9cc) and that they exhibited lower mortality rates (36.0% vs. 51.5%). The results also showed that these responses were enhanced when organic matter was added. The same patterns were observed when the hydrologic response, considering the rate of infiltration (0.14cm/min vs. 0.11cm/min) and moisture content (21.8% vs. 19.0%), was evaluated. The results also indicate that the improvement in vegetation condition and hydrologic function must have contributed to the improvement in the rangeland ecological status of the treated plots (regular condition) in relation to the communal land (poor condition). Therefore, one can conclude that the revegetation of poor rangeland with plantlets of native species is an effective strategy to improve its condition and hydrologic function. Assessing the impact of revegetation at the producer level in combination with rest-rotation and a deferred-rotation grazing system is recommended to ensure the sustainability of degraded range rehabilitation programs.

Keywords : Degradation; rangeland; revegetation; plantlets; organic matter; condition; vigor; infiltration.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )