Sara Johnson Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Iraq and Syria under attack from devastating alien weed 24-05-2011 Silverleaf nightshade takes root in Lebanon and Jordan too Silverleaf nightshade in a wheat field. 24 May 2011, Rome - FAO is stepping in to assist farmers in Iraq and Syria battle with silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium), an invasive alien weed that sucks nutrients from the soil and starves crops of valuable water and whose berries can poison livestock if ingested. A relative of the tomato originally hailing from tropical America, silverleaf nightshade has very deep roots and is also covered in spines, making it difficult to pull out of the ground. The weed probably arrived in the Near-East as a result of globalization of trade, its seeds hidden in containers or in bags of agricultural commodities. It is spreading in the region on trucks and animals, or in crop seeds that have not been checked for quality assurance. Cotton, wheat, olives threatened More than 60 percent of the cultivated land in Syria, growing mainly cotton and wheat, has now been infested with the weed. Olive groves are also being affected and there is a big potential risk that silverleaf nightshade will soon spread to more lands. In northwest Iraq a similar mass infestation has been reported and the weed has also been spotted in various sites in Lebanon and Jordan, where it will spread if nothing is done. “This particular type of weed competes aggressively with crops for nutrients whilst its deep root system dries down soil moisture,” said Gualbert Gbèhounou, FAO Weed Officer. Biodiversity reduced Biodiversity is also reduced by the dominance of silverleaf nightshade, a particular concern in invaded areas. In its native tropical America habitats, silverleaf nightshade has many natural enemies which are not present in invaded areas, where it freely thrives. Alfalfa as an option for control On the request of the governments concerned, FAO is implementing a project to assist farmers manage and prevent further spread of silverleaf nightshade in all four countries. “We want to introduce an integrated weed management approach, which means we will not focus on herbicides, although we might use them if we have to, but instead we would rather test sustainable alternative management possibilities,” said Gbèhounou. The UN agency is recommendating that farmers rotate regular crops with the fodder crop alfalfa, which covers the ground and competes with silverleaf nightshade. This prevents the weed from producing new seeds and also reduces amount of weed seed in the soil. FAO is also seeking to encourage countries to review their regulatory environments and collaborate to reinforce control of silverleaf nightshade at the national and regional levels. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/75333/icode/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinglizzy99 Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Seems to be the kudzu of the M.E. I have to admit, I wasn't sure what to expect from this post judging from the title. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalite Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 At least it is not Reefer Madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnutz Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 So that's what they're on over there, it's the alien weed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontiyak Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I wondered where Cheech & Chong ended up... yak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fast4u2c Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Ummm, interesting post. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deenar Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I'm tempted to change my username to devastating alien weed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nointel Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 "an invasive alien weed that sucks nutrients......" maybe this is what the gurus are smoking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2fast4u2c Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 Are they going to tax said weed...lol 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanga Posted May 24, 2011 Report Share Posted May 24, 2011 I hope the tax the weed, after a while it will get tired of paying and move to a new district or country. Just saying ;-] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thatoneguy Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 EXACTLY Krome.... I encourage all to avoid the "Normalcy Bias". If your unfamiliar, have a google on it. Stansbury Research did a little piece on it, so, just sayin'. Chao. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quadraph0nic Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 they should put that in their hooka and see if it changes their outlook on life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevnutz Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepmwlknfny Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Did somone say weed?!?!? Where is it at?!?!?! This better be good...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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