Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

Study on the degradation of three aquatic weeds at the Americana-SP reservoir in Brazil

A study on aquatic weed decomposition was carried out at the Americana-SP reservoir in Brazil, to compare degradation rate of the plants in the reservoir's water itself. Three variables were considered as treatments: depth (surface, 3.5 and 7.0 m); aquatic weed species (Eichhornia crassipes, Brachiaria subquadripara, and Pistia stratiotes) and type of handling the aquatic weeds (whole plant, hand cut plant, and burnt plant). The results indicated that the species E. crassipes and P. stratiotes had a fast decomposition in the reservoir, unlike B. subquadripara. These differences must be considered in the elaboration of management plans and prediction of environmental impact of aquatic plant control programs. The most positive aspect of the study was to demonstrate that decomposition at 3.5m and 7.0 m of depth had practically the same speed observed on the surface.

aquatic macrophytes; decomposition; water


Sociedade Brasileira da Ciência das Plantas Daninhas Departamento de Fitotecnia - DFT, Universidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV, 36570-000 - Viçosa-MG - Brasil, Tel./Fax::(+55 31) 3899-2611 - Viçosa - MG - Brazil
E-mail: rpdaninha@gmail.com