In the past decade, significant progress has been made by the ornamental plant industry to minimize the risk of invasive plant introductions. Voluntary codes of conduct have been adopted nationally by botanic gardens and the horticulture trade to help reduce the pathway of invasive plants. Simultaneously, plant breeders have been developing new cultivars with much reduced or eliminated invasive potential that can replace invasive ones. Yet, confusion exists among private and public sectors of the plant industry due to different invasive plant lists that are largely nonregulated, and the role cultivars and geographic regions within states play for the invasive status of any given species.
Florida is unique in that it has an invasive plant resource called the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences' (UF/IFAS) Status Assessment (AS) of Non-native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. Three components of this IFAS AS are the 1) status assessment, 2) predictive tool, and 3) infraspecific taxon protocol (ITP).The status assessment evaluates the invasiveness of non-native species that currently occur in Florida's natural areas. The predictive tool is a risk assessment model that evaluates species that are not currently found in Florida's natural areas but are invasive in other places with similar climate and growing conditions. The ITP evaluates the invasive potential of horticultural and agricultural selections, hybrids, and cultivars. This tool was developed to determine if the invasive potential of the introduction differs from that of the invasive parent species found in Florida ("resident species" or wild-type form).
Over the past 2 decades in Florida, the invasive potential of nearly 20 ornamental species and their hybrids or cultivars have been evaluated. In addition, as part of planned breeding programs, UF researchers have developed genetic techniques to reduce the fecundity of plants. Methodology of these studies included trialing of selections at two to three locations in Florida representing different soil types, rainfall patterns, and temperatures.
As a result of these efforts, progress has been made within the nursery industry in gradually replacing wild-type forms of invasive species with approved noninvasive cultivars that are superior in flowering, form, and performance.
In summary, the substantial economic and ecological costs of invasive species management and removal warrant aggressive early detection and prevention programs. The ornamental industry plays an important role in this by making informed, research-driven decisions in sterile cultivar adoption and by phasing out invasive species, replacing them with species that can serve the same role (i.e., ease of propagation, aesthetic traits, and versatility in the landscape) while providing added ecological services. Opportunities remain for better consumer awareness, marketing, and promotion of environmentally friendly plants and extension programming directed toward distinguishing invasive plants from noninvasive alternatives. Finally, efforts to use consistent, newly proposed, invasive species terminology (such as native, non-native, introduced, established, invasive, and nuisance) will ultimately increase stakeholder understanding and education.
Dr. Wilson is a professor in the Department of Environmental Horticulture, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville. Her research focuses on characterizing the invasive potential of ornamental plants and native plant propagation and production. Dr. Zhanao Deng is a professor of Environmental Horticulture at the University of Florida, Gulf Coast Research Center. He specializes in plant breeding.
The full article can be found on the ASHS HortTech Electronic journal website at: https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTTECH05205-23
Established in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science is recognized around the world as one of the most respected and influential professional societies for horticultural scientists. ASHS is committed to promoting and encouraging national and international interest in scientific research and education in all branches of horticulture.
Comprised of thousands of members worldwide, ASHS represents a broad cross-section of the horticultural community - scientists, educators, students, landscape and turf managers, government, extension agents and industry professionals. ASHS members focus on practices and problems in horticulture: breeding, propagation, production and management, harvesting, handling and storage, processing, marketing and use of horticultural plants and products. To learn more, visit ashs.org.
