Abstract
Each kind of weed problem outlined in this chapter is capable of dominating the local economic and social life wherever it occurs. The recent rapid spread and explosive growth of aquatic weeds throughout the wet tropics has produced locally disastrous effects; in the temperate world the harm done by water plants is less dramatic but there has been increased weed growth in polluted water enriched with nutrients. Poisonous plants continue to take a heavy toll of livestock, and man himself may become ill or, less commonly today, actually die, when poisonous plants are eaten inadvertently. In addition, there are plants which although not lethal can in various ways have debilitating effects on man and his animals. Parasitic weeds, once a major concern of farmers in Northern Europe, have largely disappeared since seed cleaning and legislation have reduced the sowing of contaminated crop seed. However, in other areas root and stem parasites can occur on almost every major crop, posing severe local problems. Woody species have been taken by man to new areas, where they have sometimes escaped and now dominate the local vegetation; for example, the attractive shrubby Lantana (Lantana camara), which is a non-weedy native of tropical America, was planted by man in other tropical areas, where its vigorous growth, rapid increase and toxicity to livestock have made it a widespread nuisance.
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© 1982 R. J. Stephens
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Stephens, R.J. (1982). Special Weed Problems. In: Theory and Practice of Weed Control. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86066-1_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-86066-1_4
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