Plants have always contributed to the survival of every species and we often refer to plants as beneficial. But the weeds are some which are a threat to crop yield and other species too. Weeds are responsible for the loss of one-third of crops. European Weed Research Society describes weed as a kind of herb or shrub rather than the fungi which compete the priority or the requirement of humans. There are two kinds of weeds one is invasive and another one is non-invasive.
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The invasive weeds pose a threat to the biological diversity of an area. One such invasive weed threatening the local biodiversity and mankind is the Parthenium hysterophorus which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is highly branched and short-lived plant species. The word Parthenium is derived from the Latin word ‘parthenice’ while the word ‘hysterophorus’ refers to the prodigious seeding behavior of this plant and this word is derived from the Greek word, ‘hystera’ means womb and ‘phoros’ means bearing. It is often called as congress grass and carrot weed.
This Parthenium hysterophorus is among the 100 most invasive species in the world identified by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature (IUCN) while this species also meets the A2 list of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). This species is native to 20 countries and introduced to about 34 countries. The species is not native to the region of India as its original population distribution is around the Gulf and Mexico of the Southern United States of America.
It is introduced to India in the 1950s during grass seed shipments from the USA. The first population was found in Pune in the year 1955 for the very first time in India. With the fast process of germination and high growth rate, this species started to dominate. A single plant can produce 15-25000 seeds and these can survive in harsh conditions while the large produced seeds will continuously increase the size of its soil seed bank. Seeds are spread by vehicles, animals, rivers, farm machinery, etc. It starts flowering after 1 month which lasts till the next 6-8 months. As we can observe the Parthenium is introduced to 34 countries which signifies that it can survive in a vast temperature and other climatic variations. But the plant favors, rain, mild soil, moisture, and an optimum temperature of 12-27 degrees Celsius for which summer is considered as most preferable for the species.
In Parthenium, all parts including trichomes and pollen contain toxins called sesquiterpene. Parthenin, hynmenin, and ambrosin are mainly recognized for provoking health hazards. Especially the Parthenin is very toxic. Parthenium produces allelochemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants in its vicinity. Being an invasive species it has been affecting biodiversity and puts major concerns to health issues. This species disrupts the ecosystem displacing numerous native plant species that are an important part of the ecosystem.
Notably, this species of weed affects humans and creates major concerns about health issues. The species responsible for harmful diseases among humans are dermatitis, asthma, Allergenic respiratory reactions, Black spots, blisters around the eyes, diarrhea, burning rings and blisters over the skin, etc. Animals are also suffering for Parthenium. Goats can ingest the Parthenium and animals like cows and buffaloes can’t ingest this species. Animals do not usually eat this weed for its bitter taste but if they consume it than causes serious illnesses like severe dermatitis and if consumed too much the animal will die. While if humans consume such meat then humans also suffer from various diseases. Further research suggests that consuming Parthenium by cow results in bitter milk and humans who consume the milk will also be affected. A study also shows that Parthenium is a favorite food of mosquitoes and it spreads malaria which makes the presence of this species more serious.
While interestingly many new innovative uses of this plant have come to light. It confers health benefits for the remedy of skin inflammation, rheumatic pain, urinary tract infections, dysentery, and neuralgia. The prospect of nanomedicines is also carried out and some preliminary success has been noticed so far. Some other important potentials of this plant are the removal of heavy metal, and dye from the environment, eradication of aquatic weeds, use as a substrate for commercial enzyme production, use as a low-cost substrate for xylanase, Flea repellent for ridding dogs, additives in cattle manure for biogas production, biopesticides, green manure and compost.
The best time to manually remove Parthenium is before it flowers and seeds. Physical control poses a threat for health hazards if we directly make contact with the plant. So we have to take care that we wear gloves, masks, and other protective essentials needed during the removal of this species. Burning of this weed is also done to manage its population but it also poses a threat to the soil, air, and biodiversity so we regard it as an unsafe technique. Chemical methods are considered as best strategy to control this weed. Glyphosate, bromoxynil, atrazine, and ametryn are some successful herbicides in suppressing Parthenium. Biological control is considered to be as environment friendly and not harm anyone, Bio control agents are responsible for it.
This species prefers to grow in a naturally disturbed habitat like the roadside, open spaces in towns, near railway tracks, crop orchards, wastelands, cleared lands, etc. In India, it is spread vastly and Biswanath district present in upper Assam is one of the suffering areas where it spreads at an alarming rate, posing a threat to biodiversity and humans of this area. Very high numbers are seen in Biswanath town and other parts of the district like near hospitals, walking zones, fields, roads, schools, and colleges, etc which express major concerns about the biodiversity of the area and health hazards. An awareness drive should be undertaken to make people aware of this weed which is very dangerous to our health.
As still many people are unaware of Parthenium and for which it leads to different troubles. Biswanath Being one of the hotspots of Parthenium government of Assam faces the responsibility for the management of controlling this harmful weed in this district. Different Individuals, institutions, and organizations are working for the good management of this weed for well-being of the ecosystem in the district. This management of the Parthenium goes hand in hand with all of us. We should take care of our environment then we can live a sustainable life.
Plants have always contributed to the survival of every species and we often refer to plants as beneficial. But the weeds are some which are a threat to crop yield and other species too. Weeds are responsible for the loss of one-third of crops. European Weed Research Society describes weed as a kind of herb or shrub rather than the fungi which compete the priority or the requirement of humans. There are two kinds of weeds one is invasive and another one is non-invasive. The invasive weeds pose a threat to the biological diversity of an area. One such invasive weed threatening the local biodiversity and mankind is the Parthenium hysterophorus which belongs to the Asteraceae family. It is highly branched and short-lived plant species.
The word Parthenium is derived from the Latin word ‘parthenice’ while the word ‘hysterophorus’ refers to the prodigious seeding behavior of this plant and this word is derived from the Greek word, ‘hystera’ means womb and ‘phoros’ means bearing. It is often called as congress grass and carrot weed. This Parthenium hysterophorus is among the 100 most invasive species in the world identified by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature (IUCN) while this species also meets the A2 list of the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO). This species is native to 20 countries and introduced to about 34 countries.
The species is not native to the region of India as its original population distribution is around the Gulf and Mexico of the Southern United States of America. It is introduced to India in the 1950s during grass seed shipments from the USA. The first population was found in Pune in the year 1955 for the very first time in India. With the fast process of germination and high growth rate, this species started to dominate. A single plant can produce 15-25000 seeds and these can survive in harsh conditions while the large produced seeds will continuously increase the size of its soil seed bank. Seeds are spread by vehicles, animals, rivers, farm machinery, etc. It starts flowering after 1 month which lasts till the next 6-8 months. As we can observe the Parthenium is introduced to 34 countries which signifies that it can survive in a vast temperature and other climatic variations. But the plant favors, rain, mild soil, moisture, and an optimum temperature of 12-27 degrees Celsius for which summer is considered as most preferable for the species.
In Parthenium, all parts including trichomes and pollen contain toxins called sesquiterpene. Parthenin, hynmenin, and ambrosin are mainly recognized for provoking health hazards. Especially the Parthenin is very toxic. Parthenium produces allelochemicals that inhibit the growth of other plants in its vicinity. Being an invasive species it has been affecting biodiversity and puts major concerns to health issues. This species disrupts the ecosystem displacing numerous native plant species that are an important part of the ecosystem.
Notably, this species of weed affects humans and creates major concerns about health issues. The species responsible for harmful diseases among humans are dermatitis, asthma, Allergenic respiratory reactions, Black spots, blisters around the eyes, diarrhea, burning rings and blisters over the skin, etc. Animals are also suffering for Parthenium. Goats can ingest the Parthenium and animals like cows and buffaloes can’t ingest this species. Animals do not usually eat this weed for its bitter taste but if they consume it than causes serious illnesses like severe dermatitis and if consumed too much the animal will die. While if humans consume such meat then humans also suffer from various diseases. Further research suggests that consuming Parthenium by cow results in bitter milk and humans who consume the milk will also be affected. A study also shows that Parthenium is a favorite food of mosquitoes and it spreads malaria which makes the presence of this species more serious.
While interestingly many new innovative uses of this plant have come to light. It confers health benefits for the remedy of skin inflammation, rheumatic pain, urinary tract infections, dysentery, and neuralgia. The prospect of nanomedicines is also carried out and some preliminary success has been noticed so far. Some other important potentials of this plant are the removal of heavy metal, and dye from the environment, eradication of aquatic weeds, use as a substrate for commercial enzyme production, use as a low-cost substrate for xylanase, Flea repellent for ridding dogs, additives in cattle manure for biogas production, biopesticides, green manure and compost.
The best time to manually remove Parthenium is before it flowers and seeds. Physical control poses a threat for health hazards if we directly make contact with the plant. So we have to take care that we wear gloves, masks, and other protective essentials needed during the removal of this species. Burning of this weed is also done to manage its population but it also poses a threat to the soil, air, and biodiversity so we regard it as an unsafe technique. Chemical methods are considered as best strategy to control this weed. Glyphosate, bromoxynil, atrazine, and ametryn are some successful herbicides in suppressing Parthenium. Biological control is considered to be as environment friendly and not harm anyone, Bio control agents are responsible for it.
This species prefers to grow in a naturally disturbed habitat like the roadside, open spaces in towns, near railway tracks, crop orchards, wastelands, cleared lands, etc. In India, it is spread vastly and Biswanath district present in upper Assam is one of the suffering areas where it spreads at an alarming rate, posing a threat to biodiversity and humans of this area. Very high numbers are seen in Biswanath town and other parts of the district like near hospitals, walking zones, fields, roads, schools, and colleges, etc which express major concerns about the biodiversity of the area and health hazards. An awareness drive should be undertaken to make people aware of this weed which is very dangerous to our health.
As still many people are unaware of Parthenium and for which it leads to different troubles. Biswanath Being one of the hotspots of Parthenium government of Assam faces the responsibility for the management of controlling this harmful weed in this district. Different Individuals, institutions, and organizations are working for the good management of this weed for well-being of the ecosystem in the district. This management of the Parthenium goes hand in hand with all of us. We should take care of our environment then we can live a sustainable life.
