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YourHub.com \\ Okeechobee \\ Stories \\ Gardening

Tropical Soda Apple Biological Controls Available

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Contributed by: Ken Gioeli on 9/6/2007

Tropical Soda Apple (TSA) is an invasive weed that can quickly take over valuable pasture grass lands and other natural areas. This is a particularly nasty plant with long thorns and fruits that look like miniature watermelons. This perennial prickly shrub, native to South America, has been spreading at an alarming rate during the last decade. Tropical soda apple was first discovered in Glades County, Florida, in 1988, and has since been reported in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico. In Florida, over 1 million acres are currently estimated to be infested with tropical soda apple. Cattle and wildlife feed on the mature fruits of tropical soda apple and are primarily responsible for spreading the weed by passing the undigested seeds in their droppings. These invasive plants are also being found along highway right of ways and in newly developed subdivisions in the Treasure Coast.

The University of Florida / St Lucie County Extension, the Division of Plant Industry and the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) are joining together on a Tropical Soda Apple (TSA) biological control program. Host-specific beetles that feed on the TSA leaves and inhibit the spread of TSA are available to the public free-of-charge. Several ranchers in the county have been successfully using the TSA beetles to manage their TSA population.

We would like to offer, free of charge, TSA beetles to ranchers and natural area managers that have a moderate to heavy infestation of TSA. These beetles are seasonal and will be available to the public for only a short period of time.

To find out more information and to receive TSA beetles, call Ken Gioeli, University of Florida / St Lucie County Natural Resources Agent, at (772) 462-1660. Additional details are online at http://kgioeli.ifas.ufl.edu

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