Invasive alien plants (IAP) are recognised in Slovenia and everywhere around the world as one of the main causes for decline of biodiversity and they also affect the economy, environment and human health. Many of them are grown as ornamental plants, even though they have been recognized as invasive. Invasive plants spread with the help of water, wind, birds and humans, through the transport of contaminated soil and the dumping of plant waste into nature. For the disposal of removed IAP, fruiting material and material by which these plants reproduce vegetatively must be properly discarded and submitted for incineration. Because this is an expensive and time-consuming process, we tested within the master's thesis whether industrial composting destroys structures for vegetative reproduction of IAP. In Slovenia, we collected vegetative propagules of 11 invasive alien plant species. We divided them into three groups: one control and two test groups. The test groups were stored in two metal containers and included in the industrial composting process. During the procedure, the temperature was above 55°C for several days and even reached above 70 °C. The control group was planted in plant containers under optimal conditions, and after composting, we also planted the test groups to determine whether the propagules were capable of vegetative reproduction. The test groups did not survive the industrial composting, so we can conclude that vegetative propagules of IAPS can be safely disposed of in brown bins for organic waste. The instructions for dealing with removed vegetative propagules can be simplified, since we don’t need to send them for incineration.
|
