Spread of Abutilon theophrasti in Central Europe
Abutilon theophrasti (Malvoideae) is a major weed in many European countries where it is widespread and invades agricultural systems, competing with crops for resources. It is native from China and was originally introduced into other parts of the world as a potential fibre crop. The species has also entered regions as a contaminant of imported seed. Using distribution datasets up to 2013, the spread patterns of A. theophrasti were studied in Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In total, 389 records of the species were used in the analysis and the distribution was mapped for three-time periods (before 1970, 1971 – 1990, 1991 – 2013). In the initial invasion phase, A. theophrasti had a distribution limited to several isolated locations in the three countries. Up until 1970, spread was slow, and it was only from 1990 to 2013 that a significant spread was seen (238 records). Since 2000, distribution records have shown that A. theophrasti has invaded agricultural fields more frequently (78 % of all records in fields collected after 2000), including spring-grown crops sugar beet, maize, sunflower, soybean, and other crops such as potatoes, pumpkin and vegetables. The authors of the study predict that the spread of A. theophrasti will continue and control options should include the prevention of the movement of species into previously uninfested fields by avoiding seed spread through harvesting and movement of contaminated soil.
Sources
Follak S, Aldrain U, Schwarz M (2014) Spread dynamics of Abutilon theophrasti in Central Europe. Plant Protection Science 50, 157-163.