Parthenium Hystrophorous a poisonous plant

Dr. S.N. SURESH

Parthenium Hystrophorous a poisonous plant

Scientists associated with the All India Co-ordinated Research Programme said
the rapid growth of the Parthenium Hysterophorus weed had become a threat to the environment and
biodiversity. It adversely affects the germination and growth of several crops.
The pollen grains of Parthenium Hysterophorus, or congress grass or carrot grass in common
parlance, cause several diseases like eczema, asthma and dermatitis, a senior scientist of the Orissa
University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, said. "It is
a poisonous, allergic and aggressive weed whose pollens float in air and cause eczema, asthma,
dermatitis, hay fever (kalazar) etc in human beings," Mishra said. Mishra said the pollens of the weed
shed flowers of vegetables (tomato, chilli, brinjal) and inactivate nitrogen fixing bacteria in pulses due to
secretion of a chemical substance (sesquiterpene lactones).
Not only human beings, the weed also causes dermatitis in animals like cows and goats. When they
eat the weed, their milk becomes bitter and drinking it for
some length of time may cause death.

Parthenium Plant

Parthenium weed's botanical name is Parthenium Hystrophorous. It is a herbaceous plant,

and a native of Tropical America. It is an annual herb and has a deep taproot and erect stem,
which becomes woody with age. Parthenium weed leaves are deeply lobed. It is pale green
in colour and has soft hair. Parthenium weed flower is creamy white in color. The weed has a
large number of stems. It has small (1-2mm long) black seeds with white scales. They are not
visible to the naked eye.
History
The word Parthenium is derived from the Latin word 'parthenice', suggesting medicinal
uses. The origin of this obnoxious weed is traced to the Caribbean but its adverse effects are
felt largely in African, Australian and Asian countri. The weed was first sighted in Pune in
1956. It had travelled from the USA with wheat seeds and gradually spread to every corner of
the country. Parthenium entered India with imported foodgrains in the mid-1950s. "One of
the world’s seven most devastating and hazardous weeds, parthenium invaded 14.25 million
hectares of farm land during 2001-07, compared to 2 million hectares in 1991-2000."
Parthenium has invaded 35 million hectares across the country including crop land,
wasteland and forest areas, according to the DWSR, which is preparing a report on this.
Initially, the deadly weed occupied largely non-crop areas like wasteland, open forests and
roadsides. Now it has now spread to cropping land at an alarming rate.
Parthenium is Toxic
Parthenium has been declared noxious in America, Australia, India and many other
countries especially those having tropical climates. Scientists describe it as a "poisonous,
allergic and aggressive weed posing a serious threat to human beings and livestock." It
squeezes grasslands and pastures, reducing the fodder supply.

The presence of parthenium in cropped lands results in yield reduction up to 40 per cent. It
is also responsible for bitter milk disease in livestock fed on grass mixed with parthenium.
Probing biological pollutant, highly successful in distribution. The reasons for its fast spread
are: (l) High germination ability throughout the year, (2) Large seed production ability, (3)
High survival rate, (4) Extreme adaptability in a wide range of habitats. (5) Easy dispersal of
seeds.
Problems associated with Parthenium:
1. It is a vigorous species, which colonizes in grassy land . It grows rapidly in bare areas
along roadsides and water points.
2. It reduces the production of pasture.
3. It is very expensive to control.
4. It is a major health hazard to human beings.
5. It emits carbon dioxide and hence, poses a problem to nitrogen fixation and becomes a
parasite, dependent on standing crops and animals in its vicinity.
6. Its pollens are a major cause of asthma, especially in children and elderly people.
7. It is a major cause of Allergic, Trinities Sinusitis, affecting about ten percent of the
people who live near it.
8. It is a major cause of dermatitis, a skin disease, among animals and human being.
9. It reduces yield of milk and weight of animals.
10. It causes irritation to eyes.
Efforts to control the weed
Efforts are being made to control the weed by different methods. But so far, no single
method appears to be satisfactory due to high cost, impracticability, environmental safety,
tem and Mechanical Eradication. It is observed that cutting or slashing of parthenium
enhances its regeneration. So uprooting manually is the finest option. During the rainy
season, the soil remains wet and hence manual or mechanical removal can be done before
the onset of flowering with people's participation. This operation should be started before
blooming as uprooting after fruit setting will be a sheer waste of time and money. As manual
removal is not cost effective, it can be advocated only in limited situations. If it becomes
imperative to use labour, they should be equipped with protective measures including
ascertaining their parthenium sensitiveness.
During the last few years much emphasis has been laid on controlling parthenium through
various biological agents like insects, pathogens etc . It was found that Cassia species can
control parthenium. C.sericea(C.uniflora), a non-nitrogen fixing leguminous herb, colonizes
more aggressively without giving scope for Parthenium to manifest.

Jabalpur-based Directorate of Weed Science Research (DWSR) Director Jay G

Varshney siad, "The proper management of parthenium weed could increase
crop yield
by 30 per cent and help India achieve self-sufficiency in import-dependent food
items like pulses and edible oil." However, leading agri-scientist M S
Swaminathan was surprised to learn that parthenium has spread to crop land as
well.