Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 12
Managing Parthenium Weed Across Diverse
Landscapes: Prospects and Limitations
K. Dhileepan
Abstract
Parthenium is a weed of global significance affecting many countries in
Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. Parthenium causes severe human and animal
health problems, agricultural losses as well as serious environmental problems.
Management options for parthenium include chemical, physical, legislative, fire,
mycoherbicides, agronomic practices, competitive displacement and classical bio-
logical control. The ability of parthenium to grow in a wide range of habitats, its
persistent seed bank, and its allelopathic potential make its management difficult.
No single management option would be adequate to manage parthenium across all
habitats, and there is a need to integrate various management options (e.g. grazing
management, competitive displacement, cultural practices) with classical biological
control as a core management option.
Keywords
Parthenium hysterophorus
Biological control
Integrated weed
management
12.1 Introduction
Parthenium (
Parthenium hysterophorus
L.; Asteraceae) (Fig. 12.1) is an annual
herb with a deeply penetrating taproot and an erect shoot. Young plants form a
rosette of leaves close to the soil surface. As it matures, the plant develops many
branches on its upper half, and may eventually reach a height of up to 2m
(McFadyen 1992). Parthenium grows vigorously in summer, but with good rainfall
and warm temperature, it has the ability to germinate and establishes at any time of
the year. Flowering usually commences 6-8 weeks after germination, and soil
moisture seems to be the major contributing factor to the duration of flowering
K. Dhileepan
Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Alan Fletcher
Research Station, Sherwood, QLD 4075, Australia
k.dhileepan@dpi.qld.gov.au
