Will it affect the Tea plantation Yield by attracting reptiles?
Does Napier grass/Elephant Grass attracts animals and reptiles?
Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass ) is a very useful grass. I don't think that it attracts reptiles. Please follow the links given below to know about the importance of this grass species.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennisetum_purpureum
I have seen Tea Gardens in Assam, Bengal, Tamil Nadu & Kerala, apart from Sri Lanka. Nowhere has this problem been there. However, I am not able to give any reference.
Pennisetum purpureum as mulch for young tea had been reported (Othieno 1980), which increased soil moisture content and phosphorous uptake. However, higher soil moisture enhanced root density in surface layer and plants became more prone to drought in the long run as the mulch material decayed (Willson and Clifford 1992; Morgan and Rickson 2005).
https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19800387097?start=107400
Willson KC, Clifford MN (Eds) 1992. Tea: Cultivation to Consumption. Springer – Science + Business Media. B.V.
Morgan RPC, Rickson RJ (Eds) 2005. Slope Stabilization and Erosion Control: A Bioengineering Approach. E and FN Spon, London. Glasgow. Weinheim. New York. Tokyo. Melbourne. Madras.
Tall grasses and other grasslands are reported as ideal habitat for reptiles (links below).
http://www.suffolkwildlifetrust.org/sites/default/files/reptiles_habitat_piles_mowing_techniques_0.pdf
http://www.narrs.org.uk/documents/Reptile_habitat_guide.pdf
http://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/29566/
Significant difference in abundance of reptiles among logged forest, unlogged forest and exotic pine plantation dominated by Pennisetum purpureum was not observed (Vonesh 1998).
http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/amd0037/masterslast.pdf
Pennisetum purpureum (Napier grass ) is a common fodder grass in Karnataka. It grows well if sufficient moisture is provided. Many trials have been conducted by IGFRI, Dharwad. You may log on to their website and you get information on this aspect.
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