The objective of this study was to control biological invasion by Eragrostis plana Nees (South African lovegrass) on a roadside by introducing competitor grasses associated with soil management and fertilization practices. The experimental design was a complete randomized block with split-plots parcels and three replications. In the parcels, it was evaluated two practices of soil treatments: subsoil tillage plus disc harrow tillage and application of limestone and phosphorous; and only subsoil tillage and, in the split-plots, the following grass species: Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B. K. Simon & S. W. L. Jacobs; Setaria sphacelata (Schumach.) Stapf & C. E. Hubb.; seed mixture of three native grasses, Paspalum notatum Alain ex Flüggé, Paspalum regnelli Mez and Paspalum urvillei Steud.; evaluated by comparison to an exclusion subplot (control). In the floristic surveys, which were performed on January 8th 2005, and after planting, in January 26th and June 25th, 2006, a high floristic richness was observed, with 86 botanical species distributed in 29 families and 21% of exotic species. The subsoil tillage plus disc harrow tillage, limestone and fertilization associated with the introduction of M. maximus or with S. sphacelata were the treatments which contributed most to reduce E. plana frequency. The native grasses present in the roadside vegetation Paspalum plicatulum Mitchx, Piptochaetium montevidense (Spreng.) Parodi and the introduced native species Paspalum urvillei have potential to control E. plana invasion.
biological invasion; competing species; ecological restoration; floristic richness; native grasses
