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Article: Tiny weevil beats back giant salvinia.
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- September 1, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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While some consider giant salvinia to be an attractive aquatic plant, this free-floating fern is also an obnoxious invader that's sometimes referred to as "the world's worst water weed."
Case in point: In ponds and lakes in sections of Texas and Louisiana, mats of Salvinia molesta block out sunlight and use up oxygen, making it hard for some forms of aquatic life to survive beneath them. The mats snag fishing lines and propellers, making boating, swimming, and other recreational uses impossible. The weed also clogs irrigation systems and turbines at hydroelectric plants.
Giant salvinia is notorious for its presence in slow-moving, quiet freshwater ...