Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting

Plant material of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) must be appropriately disposed of to prevent unintended spread. The current guidelines in Slovenia and in several other European countries recommend composting only the parts of the plants from which they cannot sprout and reproduce. At the same...

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Main Authors: Sabina Tomše, Marjeta Resnik, Nejc Gorjan, Simona Strgulc Krajšek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Pensoft Publishers 2025-02-01
Series:NeoBiota
Online Access:https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/133943/download/pdf/
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author Sabina Tomše
Marjeta Resnik
Nejc Gorjan
Simona Strgulc Krajšek
author_facet Sabina Tomše
Marjeta Resnik
Nejc Gorjan
Simona Strgulc Krajšek
author_sort Sabina Tomše
collection DOAJ
description Plant material of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) must be appropriately disposed of to prevent unintended spread. The current guidelines in Slovenia and in several other European countries recommend composting only the parts of the plants from which they cannot sprout and reproduce. At the same time, the vegetative propagules and seeds should be incinerated. We tested whether the seeds and vegetative propagules (rhizomes, stolons, tubers, and branches) of 30 selected IAPS survive industrial composting, which is the method of processing collected organic waste and green cut from parks and gardens. Mature seeds and vegetative propagules were packed in metal boxes, which were filled with compost and included in the hygienisation phase of biowaste processing at the Regional Waste Management Centre, RCERO Ljubljana. After the industrial composting for 17 days, seed germination and viability tests were done and compared with a control group of seeds collected from the same plants but not undergoing the composting process. The composted and fresh vegetative propagules were planted in pots with soil, and the number of rooted parts was counted. None of the seeds and the vegetative propagules survived the industrial composting process, and we can conclude that it is safe to dispose of the IAPS like other organic waste or green cut.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1314-2488
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Pensoft Publishers
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series NeoBiota
spelling doaj-art-8b63dded8c644948b0abbf57f3ebfc5f2025-02-08T08:31:35ZengPensoft PublishersNeoBiota1314-24882025-02-019712113410.3897/neobiota.97.133943133943Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial compostingSabina Tomše0Marjeta Resnik1Nejc Gorjan2Simona Strgulc Krajšek3Primary School Stražišče KranjJP Voka Snaga, RCERO LjubljanaUniversity of LjubljanaUniversity of LjubljanaPlant material of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) must be appropriately disposed of to prevent unintended spread. The current guidelines in Slovenia and in several other European countries recommend composting only the parts of the plants from which they cannot sprout and reproduce. At the same time, the vegetative propagules and seeds should be incinerated. We tested whether the seeds and vegetative propagules (rhizomes, stolons, tubers, and branches) of 30 selected IAPS survive industrial composting, which is the method of processing collected organic waste and green cut from parks and gardens. Mature seeds and vegetative propagules were packed in metal boxes, which were filled with compost and included in the hygienisation phase of biowaste processing at the Regional Waste Management Centre, RCERO Ljubljana. After the industrial composting for 17 days, seed germination and viability tests were done and compared with a control group of seeds collected from the same plants but not undergoing the composting process. The composted and fresh vegetative propagules were planted in pots with soil, and the number of rooted parts was counted. None of the seeds and the vegetative propagules survived the industrial composting process, and we can conclude that it is safe to dispose of the IAPS like other organic waste or green cut.https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/133943/download/pdf/
spellingShingle Sabina Tomše
Marjeta Resnik
Nejc Gorjan
Simona Strgulc Krajšek
Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
NeoBiota
title Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
title_full Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
title_fullStr Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
title_full_unstemmed Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
title_short Seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in Europe do not survive industrial composting
title_sort seeds and vegetative propagules of all selected invasive plants in europe do not survive industrial composting
url https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/133943/download/pdf/
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