[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Skip to Main Content

Cover Story

February 16, 2009
Volume 87, Number 07
Web Exclusive

Invasive Species

Defending Mother Nature

Combating out-of-control plants requires judicious use of herbicides

Stephen K. Ritter

Plant Invasion: The old-world climbing fern is an invasive plant that grows
quickly and covers trees, as shown in this Florida upland forest (left
photo). Using the herbicide Rodeo (glyphosate) to control the pest is shown
in a shot of aerial spraying over a tree island in the Everglades that is
being overrun by the light-green climbing fern (right photo). Jeffrey Hutchinson (All)
Plant Invasion The old-world climbing fern is an invasive plant that grows quickly and covers trees, as shown in this Florida upland forest (left). Using the herbicide Rodeo (glyphosate) to control the pest is shown in a shot of aerial spraying over a tree island in the Everglades that is being overrun by the light-green climbing fern (right).

Clogged: Hydrilla is a hard-to-eradicate invasive plant that is taking over
lakes and irrigation canals in some parts of the southeastern U.S.
Clogged Hydrilla is a hard-to-eradicate invasive plant that is taking over lakes and irrigation canals in some parts of the southeastern U.S.

Nowhere is the push to minimize the environmental impact of herbicides stronger than among those who battle invasive plant species.

Plants introduced from one region of the globe to another, purposefully or by accident, can lead to headaches for federal and state environmental officials. A few of the faster growing species can crowd out native understory plants and choke trees if they escape into forests and wetlands. They can also overwhelm native submerged aquatic plants in lakes and streams and deplete dissolved oxygen, killing fish and other aquatic organisms.

Using herbicides to manage these plant pests is necessary to maintain forests and waterways for recreation, for functional uses such as fishing and irrigation, and for aesthetic purposes. What the public doesn't know is that invasive plant management "has always been green," says William T. Haller, acting director of the Center for Aquatic & Invasive Plants at the University of Florida. "Why try to save a wetland from an invasive fern if you are going to kill all the plants in the wetland with a herbicide?"

Scientists have discovered effective herbicides and their optimal formulations that result in high selectivity for the invasive plants and short half-lives of the chemicals in the environment-and have stuck with them, Haller says. In fact, little has changed during the past 20 years, he notes. "We still use mostly the same compounds, those few that are registered and labeled for invasive plants."

In Florida, the old-world climbing fern that takes over forests and wetlands and the fernlike aquatic plant hydrilla that has hard-to-destroy rhizomes top the list of troublemakers. Common herbicides used against these species include glyphosate, diquat, imazapyr, and fluridone, Haller says. Chelated copper ethanolamine compounds are being used to replace copper sulfate-an old standard-because copper and sulfate ions can be problematic in aquatic settings, he adds. These herbicides are used infrequently at low rates to spot-treat invasive plants, often in conjunction with cutting and removing vegetation for effective control.

Environmentally friendlier biopesticides based on natural-product chemistry have not made significant progress on the herbicide front, Haller says, so none is being used on invasives for now. But given the growing emphasis on identifying and developing biopesticides, it is just a matter of time before an effective and even greener herbicide option for invasive species hits the market.

Cover Story

Save/Share »

Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2009 American Chemical Society

Cover Story

Tools

Save/Share »

Login

Note

Our log-in process has changed. You need an ACS ID to access member-only content.


Username:

Password:

Questions or Problems?

Adjust text size:

A- A+

Articles By Topic

Related Stories