Parthenium Hystrophorous Banning Campaign

We Impart a campaign named parthenium hystrophorous banning campaign and through this campaign, we uproot remove the parthenium plants. Here the Information about parthenium.

Scientists associated with the All India Co-ordinated Research Programme said the rapid growth of the Parthenium Hysterophorus weed had become a threat to the environment and biodiversity. It adversely affects the germination and growth of several crops.

The pollen grains of Parthenium Hysterophorus, or congress grass or carrot grass in common parlance, cause several diseases like eczema, asthma and dermatitis, a senior scientist of the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT), Bhubaneswar, Sudhansu Sekhar Mishra, said. "It is a poisonous, allergic and aggressive weed whose pollens float in air and cause eczema, asthma, dermatitis, hay fever (kalazar) etc in human beings," Mishra said. Mishra said the pollens of the weed shed flowers of vegetables (tomato, chilli, brinjal) and inactivate nitrogen fixing bacteria in pulses due to secretion of a chemical substance (sesquiterpene lactones).

Not only human beings, the weed also causes dermatitis in animals like cows and goats. When they eat the weed, their milk becomes bitter and drinking it for some length of time may cause death.

Parthenium is Toxic

Parthenium has been declared noxious in America, Australia, India and many other countries especially those having tropical climates. Scientists describe it as a "poisonous, allergic and aggressive weed posing a serious threat to human beings and livestock." It squeezes grasslands and pastures, reducing the fodder supply.

The presence of parthenium in cropped lands results in yield reduction up to 40 per cent. It is also responsible for bitter milk disease in livestock fed on grass mixed with parthenium. Probing biological pollutant, highly successful in distribution. The reasons for its fast spread are: (l) High germination ability throughout the year, (2) Large seed production ability, (3)High survival rate, (4) Extreme adaptability in a wide range of habitats. (5) Easy dispersal of seeds.

Problems associated with Parthenium:

1. It is a vigorous species, which colonizes in grassy land . It grows rapidly in bare areas along roadsides and water points.
2. It reduces the production of pasture.
3. It is very expensive to control.
4. It is a major health hazard to human beings.
5. It emits carbon dioxide and hence, poses a problem to nitrogen fixation and becomes a parasite, dependent on standing crops and animals in its vicinity.
6. Its pollens are a major cause of asthma, especially in children and elderly people.
7. It is a major cause of Allergic, Trinities Sinusitis, affecting about ten percent of the people who live near it.
8. It is a major cause of dermatitis, a skin disease, among animals and human being.
9. It reduces yield of milk and weight of animals.
10. It causes irritation to eyes.

Efforts to control the weed

Efforts are being made to control the weed by different methods. But so far, no single method appears to be satisfactory due to high cost, impracticability, environmental safety, tem and Mechanical Eradication. It is observed that cutting or slashing of parthenium enhances its regeneration. So uprooting manually is the finest option. During the rainy season, the soil remains wet and hence manual or mechanical removal can be done before the onset of flowering with people's participation. This operation should be started before blooming as uprooting after fruit setting will be a sheer waste of time and money. As manual removal is not cost effective, it can be advocated only in limited situations. If it becomes imperative to use labour, they should be equipped with protective measures including ascertaining their parthenium sensitiveness.