The Russian Thistle Plant Invasive Specie In The United States

Three different types of species are Non-Native, Native, and invasive. A Non-Native species is a species living outside its native distributional range,not necessarily invasible. A Native species is a species that has been observed in the form of a naturally occurring and self-sustaining population in historical time. Lastly, A invasive species is a species that is non-native to the ecosystem and whose introduction causes or is likely to cause harm to the economy. The specie i chose to write about is the Russian Thistle.

The Russian Thistle is slender,green,soft,well-noticed,when it becomes older it turns into a brown tumbleweed that is very flexible. In this report i will be discussing the history of this plant,the negative impacts of it,prevention,and the removal of the plant.

The Russian Thistle plant originated from russia and was brought to South Dakota by the russians in 1873. It became a problem to California in 1895 when the plant was transported to the Pacific Coast in contaminated railroad cars that transported cattle.

During certain seasons the Russian Thistle plant is a problem in Shasta county, coming unattached from the ground and blown across highways,this doesn’t only happen in shasta county, it happens in many states across the United States.

The plant becomes more of a problem in late fall,early winter because that’s the time the plants usually break loose from the soil and blow across highways. They also can reduce yield and quality of numerous crops and it can affect the growth and production of the plants.

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“It ruins soil moisture, interferes with tillage operations, and is a shelter or food source to many insects,pests, and crop diseases such as curly top, which affects many crops including potatoes and beans. Russian thistle can also threaten native plant ecosystems. Large plants can reduce highway safety by obstructing views along right-of-ways and causing drivers to swerve their cars in an attempt to avoid colliding with windblown plants.

In many areas, plants accumulate along tree rows and fence lines, posing a serious fire hazard that necessitates hours of manual labor for cleanup and disposal. It has been reported that prairie wildfires can spread rapidly when ignited balls of burning Russian thistle blow through grasslands. Russian thistle is a major problem along the California aqueduct where it can interfere with water delivery and pumping systems. Many people are sensitive to Russian thistle and exhibit skin rashes and allergic reactions after exposure to the plant.” – UC IPM The agricultural impacts it has is that it ruins the production of crops.

There aren’t many ways to get rid of the plant unless you do it before it breaks loose from the soil. One way is to run over the small plants with a lawn mower and hope they don’t continue to grow, or you can spend a few hundred dollars for someone to try and remove the small plants. Once the plants break loose from the ground the seeds fall off the plant while tumbling and they spread and begin to grow uncontrollably.

It is very important to be aware of these plants because they can cause car accidents and a lot of harm to the economy. It negatively impacting california because not as many plants are being produced.