An emerging weed: rapid spread of Solanum carolinense in Austria

Abstract

Solanum carolinense is a perennial herb native to North America and regarded to be a major agricultural problem in crops and pastures in several parts of the world. In south-eastern Austria, S. carolinense is in a phase of range filling and ongoing spread. Floristic relevés demonstrated that the species infests different crop types, such as soybean, maize and oil pumpkin, and grassland, but also non-agricultural habitats are already invaded. Widespread invasion clusters were found in almost one fifth of the crop fields surveyed, indicating locally severe infestations. A species distribution model shows that only a relatively small part of Austria is currently climatically suitable, but most of it is used for agriculture. The study highlights the need to take effective measures to halt the further spread of the species and to avoid significant yield losses.