Comparative herbaceous phytosociology in agroforestry and Calophyllum brasiliense monoculture on a river terrace

Abstract

Invasive forage grasses, especially the Urochloa genus, impact reforestation worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate management influence on phytosociology of the herbaceous layer, defined as the layer of herbs, sub-shrubs, shrubs and vines, in two agroforestry systems (AFS) (Simple and Biodiverse) in succession to a reforestation of guanandi (Calophyllum brasiliense), compared to monoculture of this specie taken as control. The experiment was conducted in Pindamonhanga (SP), Brazil, from 2011 to 2014, in a randomized block design with eight replications and 144.0 m² plots. In Simple SAF area, food crops were grown alongside C. brasiliense rows: sweet cassava (Manihot esculenta) in rotation with arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea), pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), banana shrub (Musa sp.), and juçara palm (Euterpe edulis). In Biodiverse AFS, fourteen native tree species were also planted alongside the food crops. Altogether 41 non-stratified species, 38 genera and 24 botanical families were identified; the most abundant families were: Asteraceae, Poaceae e Cyperaceae. The similarity between the areas diverged after three years of management, with the predominance of Commelina benghalensis and M. arundinacea in the AFS areas and Urochloa decumbens in the monocultive, mainly, due to the shadow gradient established for the three systems.