Eradication project of Senecio inaequidens in Corse, France
Senecio inaequidens (Asteraceae, EPPO list of invasive alien plants) was first found in a Natural Reserve in Corse in 2002. Considering the risk presented by this invasive plant for the island, the land manager decided to eradicate it while this was still possible by hand pulling and destroying the up-rooted plant material. New outbreaks have been discovered this year by the "Observatoire de l’Environnement de Corse" in Calvi and Haro. In Calvi, it colonized about 3 ha of a car park and river banks. In Haro, it invaded a waste land surrounded by ‘maquis’. The plant has the potential to spread in Corse. It could invade roadsides and urban areas, as well as pastures, dunes and cliffs in coastal areas, and temporary ponds, as it did in Southern France. According to the local farmers, the plant arrived about 20 years ago as a hay contaminant. The "Observatoire de l’Environnement de Corse" plans to eradicate the plant on 1-4 April. Plants will be hand-pulled and all up-rooted plant material will be destroyed as it can still produce achenes for 2 or 3 days. Monitoring and control should be carried out over several years to remove all seed bank and any plant material should be eliminated. More investigations will be undertaken on the origin of hay imported in Corse during the last 20 years. The introduction of S. inaequidens will be officially addressed by the Regional Administration for Agriculture.
Sources
Laetitia Hugo, Observatoire de l’Environnement de Corse. Email : hugot@oec.fr, Personal communication, 2006-01.