WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE? WHY IS BIOLOGICAL CONTROL BEING USED AGAINST PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE?
Three control methods have been tried — cultural control (hand pulling/digging), chemical control (herbicides), and biological control (insects are being grown and released against serious infestations of the weed. Other methods of controlling purple loosestrife — hand-pulling/digging or herbicides — are the method of choice when the infestation is just beginning or on a very small scale in a wetland. However, these methods are not appropriate when more than about a hundred plants are present. Also, because the loosestrife seeds remain viable for a long time, these cultural or chemical methods will not eliminate the problem — only the plants that are present right now. Several areas around Chicago have had herbicides used for more than a decade, with no progress in reducing the loosestrife infestation.
Related Questions
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- WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE? WHY IS BIOLOGICAL CONTROL BEING USED AGAINST PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE?
- WHO IS INVOLVED IN THE BIOLOGICAL CONTROL PROJECT AGAINST PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE?
