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  • From: mIEKAL aND <qazingulaza@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] Fungus Could Be Kudzu Killer
  • Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 13:03:36 -0500

(Interesting how "The fungus produces chemicals called tricothecenes,
which can damage the health of humans and animals." isn't a show
stopper...)

Fungus Could Be Kudzu Killer

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=fungus-could-be-kudzu-killer-09-08-11

Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research
Service are testing a fungus that could one day be sent into battle
against the land-grabbing vine kudzu. Steve Mirsky reports.

It’s been called the “vine that ate the south.” Kudzu grows so fast it
can completely cover a cabin in the woods in a couple of days. The
invasive plant takes over another 150,000 acres every year. Which
costs another $6 million to control.

But plant pathologists with the US Department of Agriculture’s
Research Service have gotten promising results with a fungus that
itself rapidly spreads in kudzu. The fungus is called Myrothecium
verrucaria. In early tests, the fungus killed all kudzu seedlings and
at least 90 percent of older plants. Most important, Myrothecium did
little or no damage to the species that commonly live in habitats
infested with kudzu, such as pine, oak, cedar, pecan, hickory,
blackberry and, of course, sassafras.

So what’s the catch? The fungus produces chemicals called
tricothecenes, which can damage the health of humans and animals. But
the researchers discovered that if they grew the fungus in a fermenter
or on a liquid diet, the production of the toxins fell precipitously.
If the fungus can be safely let loose one day, it could finally give
kudzu the heave-ho.




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