Influence of mulching of different non-woven materials on the growth of alpine ecological restoration grasses

This study aimed to explore the effects of different degradable non-woven cloths on the growth of commonly ecological restoration grasses in alpine regions, and to thus select the more suitable non-woven cloth materials for establishing different types of ecological restoration grasses. In May 2019, five commonly used alpine ecological restoration grass species, including Poa pratensis, Poa crgmophila, Elymus nutans, Puccinellia tenuiflora and Festuca sinensis, were selected, to measure the seedlings out, plant height, forage yield, and analyze forage quality (crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, etc.) under mulches of five biodegradable non-woven fabrics (straw fiber, hemp fiber, wool fiber). Our results showed that, 1) Brown straw fiber non-woven cloth is not suitable for all alpine ecological restoration grasses selected in this study due to the inhibition of seedlings out and growth; 2) Compared with the control, hemp fiber non-woven fabric significantly increased the plant height of Poa pratensis by 48.81% and the crude fat content of Festuca sinersis by 16.59%, but significantly reduced the aboveground biomass of Elymus nutans by 32.73% and the acid detergent fiber content of Festuca sinersis by 14.88%; 3) Compared with the control, white thick wool fiber non-woven cloth significantly increased the plant height of five forage grasses (29.61% ~ 133.70%), the biomass of forage grasses (except Elymus nutans, 138.97% ~ 1023.24%), and the crude protein content of Poa pratensis by 9.11%; 4) Compared with the control, brown thick wool fiber non-woven cloth significantly increased the crude protein content of Festuca sinersis by 10.51%; 5) Compared with the control, white thin wool fiber non-woven cloth significantly increased the above-ground biomass of Poa crgmophila by 456.97% and the crude fat content of Elymus nutans by 17.41%. These results will provide a theoretical basis for ecological restoration of regions with harsher environmental conditions such as "black soil beaches" in alpine regions and engineering sites.