Environmental
Village Green gets inside running – Gawler racetrack, Adelaide, SA
Village Greens ability to establish quickly is a big plus for environmental projects such as soil stabilization and mine site rehabilitation. It covers quickly from stolons and sends down roots from roll on turf after 7 days even in winter. Village Green’s high winter activity enables growth and establishment during the winter and early spring when the soil is moist. As the soil dries out over spring/summer the roots are well established and the grass can cover with less water.
Village Green is playing a key role in trials investigating the ability of kikuyu to rehabilitate bauxite residue left over from mining activities. Its vigorous growth, salt tolerance and reproductive sterility makes it effectively non-invasive and a logical choice for rehabilitation projects.
Bauxite residue or red mud is a by-product of the alumina industry, which is proving an environmental challenge. An insoluble product, red mud has a solid concentration in the range of 10–30% and its pH is about 13.
After amendment with gypsum the pH drops to about 9, but coupled with salinity, the medium remains unfavourable for plant growth.
Research carried out by Professor Martin Fey, Professorial fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Western Australia (UWA), reveals that Village Green grows “amazingly well” in the sodium-rich medium. “Eventually we hope to find out whether such grasses can be used for soil building,” Prof Fey said. In trials, three months after planting the kikuyu dry matter yields have been on par with anything that can be obtained in a fertile soil.