December 3, 2019
A team of researchers at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre discovered a new approach to control invasive plants and weeds.
New approach to controlling invasives
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Vineland, Ont., discovered a new approach to control and eradicate invasive plants and weeds. Vineland’s innovative solution utilizes the unique natural chemistry of invasive plants as a source of new sustainable control.“Using Vincetoxicum rossicum, commonly known as dog-strangling vine, as a model system, our team is assessing whether natural plant chemistry can control invasive species threatening our natural and agricultural spaces,” said Darby McGrath, Vineland’s Research Scientist, Nursery and Landscape.
Vineland is collaborating with curator Jon Peter and the Invasive Plant Committee at Royal Botanical Gardens (RBG) to explore some of its sites invaded by dog-strangling vine, and to understand how these invasive plants affect soils and plant communities.
“Royal Botanical Gardens is excited to be assisting Dr. McGrath and Dr. David Liscombe and their teams at Vineland on this important research. Understanding and controlling invasive species is a high priority for us. Dog-strangling vine, in particular, is a serious threat to natural habitats in our area,” said David A. Galbraith, RBG’s Head of Science.
Positive results from this project will help combat invasive species and provide new, effective tools for municipalities and landowners to reclaim natural areas.
The research was funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ontario government.