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Background  The invasive weed species  Gutenbergia cordifolia  has been observed to suppress native plants and to dominate more than half of the entire crater floor (250 km 2 ) in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA). As this species has been found to be toxic to ruminants it might strongly impact animal populations in this ecologically diverse ecosystem. Hence, a nature-based approach is urgently needed to manage its spread. We tested two  Desmodium spp  extracts applied to  G. cordifolia  and assessed the latter’s germination rate, height, fresh weight and leaf total chlorophyll content after 30 days in both laboratory and screen house experiments.    Results  Seedling germination rate was halved by  Desmodium uncinatum  leaf extract (DuL), particularly under higher concentrations (≥75 %) rather than lower concentrations (≤62.5 %). Likewise, in both laboratory and screen house experiments, germination rate under DuL treatments declined with increasing concentrations. Seedling height, fresh weight and leaf total chlorophyll content (Chl) were also most strongly affected by DuL treatments rather than  D. uncinatum  root extract,  Desmodium intortum  leaf extract or  D. intortum  root extract treatments. Generally, seedlings treated with higher DuL concentrations were half as tall, had one-third the weight and half the leaf Chl content compared to those treated with lower concentrations.    Conclusion  Our study shows a novel technique that can be applied where  G. cordifolia  may be driving native flora and fauna to local extinction. Our data further suggest that this innovative approach is both ecologically safe and effective and that  D. uncinatum  can be sustainably used to manage invasive plants, and thus, to improve rangeland productivity.

A nature-based approach for managing the invasive weed species Gutenbergia cordifolia for sustainable rangeland management