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Data from: Suppression of the invasive plant mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha) by local crop sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) by means of higher growth rate and competition for soil nutrients

Cite this dataset

Shen, Schicai et al. (2015). Data from: Suppression of the invasive plant mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha) by local crop sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) by means of higher growth rate and competition for soil nutrients [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vb1qv

Abstract

Background: Competitive crops may provide potent management tools against invasive plants. To elucidate the competitive mechanisms between a sweet potato crop (Ipomoea batatas) and an invasive plant mile-a-minute (Mikania micrantha) field experiments were carried out in Longchuan County of Yunnan Province Southwest China utilizing a de Wit replacement series. The trial incorporated seven ratios of sweet potato and mile-a-minute plants in 25 m2 plots. Results: In monoculture the total biomass biomass of adventitious root leafstalk length and leaf area of sweet potato were all higher than those of mile-a-minute and in mixed culture the plant height branch leaf stem node adventitious root flowering and biomass of mile-a-minute were suppressed significantly (P<0.05). The relative yield (RY) of mile-a-minute and sweet potato was less than 1.0 in mixed culture indicating that intraspecific competition was less than interspecific competition. The competitive balance index of sweet potato demonstrated a higher competitive ability than mile-a-minute. Except pH other soil nutrient contents of initial soil (CK) were significantly higher than those of seven treatments. The concentrations of soil organic matter total N total K available N available P available K exchange Ca exchange Mg available Mn and available B were significantly greater (P<0.05) in mile-a-minute monoculture soil than in sweet potato monoculture soil and were reduced by the competition of sweet potato in the mixture. Conclusions: Evidently sweet potato has a competitive advantage in terms of plant growth characteristics and greater absorption of soil nutrients. Thus planting sweet potato is a promising technique for reducing infestations of mile-a-minute providing weed management benefits and economic returns from harvest of sweet potatoes. Nomenclature: sweet potato Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam. mile-a-minute Mikania micrantha H.B.K.

Usage notes

Location

Longchuan County
China
Yunnan Province