(Article)
a 2313 Marsdale Drive, Peterborough, ON, Canada
b Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
b Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Abstract
The freshwater aquatic plant species Stratiotes aloides (water soldier) is native to Europe and central Asia, where it occurs in seasonally pleustonic or submergent populations. It has been imported into and cultivated in Canada as an ornamental plant. Recently it has been found escaped or persisting at five locations in south-central Ontario. A large population has established in the Trent River where it was likely present for several years prior to its discovery in 2008. The tendency of S. aloides to form dense floating mats can alter aquatic communities through competition and allelopathy, and is likely to inhibit navigation and recreational activities in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence drainage system should it spread more widely in eastern North America. In Europe it is often abundant in ditches where it impedes flow and increases sedimentation. Moderate success at control has been achieved using herbicides (diquat) in the Trent River population, but manual removal has been inefficient. In spite of these control efforts, the plant is continuing to spread vegetatively downstream. An integrated management plan has been proposed to address its control by: (i) prevention of new introductions (pathway restriction); (ii) early detection and rapid response (newly established or found populations); and, (iii) eradication of known populations. © 2016, Agricultural Institute of Canada. All rights reserved.
Author keywords
Aquatic invasive plant; Environmental weed; Hydrocharitaceae; Stratiotes aloides; STTAL; Water soldier
Indexed keywords
Species Index: Hydrocharitaceae; Stratiotes; Stratiotes aloides
ISSN: 00084220 CODEN: CPLSASource Type: Journal Original language: English
DOI: 10.1139/cjps-2015-0188Document Type: Article
Publisher: Agricultural Institute of Canada
Snyder, E.; 2313 Marsdale Drive, Canada; email:eric.snyder@ontario.ca
© Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
© Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
