{"id":3130,"date":"2020-08-24T08:37:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-24T08:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=3130"},"modified":"2020-08-24T08:42:41","modified_gmt":"2020-08-24T08:42:41","slug":"silent-invasion-israeli-experts-struggle-to-get-one-of-the-countrys-most-aggressive-pests-under-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/health-nutrition\/silent-invasion-israeli-experts-struggle-to-get-one-of-the-countrys-most-aggressive-pests-under-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Silent invasion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ambrosia in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8ll8vb6A9tU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The genus Ambrosia includes 42 species native to the Americas. The plant has a notorious reputation of being an aggressive invader that does not respond to pesticides and has serious negative effects on the environment, agriculture, and human health. First observations in Israel were reported in the early 1990s in the Hof HaCarmel region in the north of the country. Today, the most common Ambrosia species in Israel is Ambrosia confertiflora, also known as Burr Ragweed, which infests predominantly fertilized areas &#8211; that is, roadsides, gardens, agricultural and open areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The\nplant came here from South America together with a shipment of seeds to the\nNablus area in the West Bank,&#8221; explains Dr. Amir Erez, Director of Water\nand Streams Division at the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection. Today,\nthe plant has reached the Lebanese border in the north and the outskirts of the\nNegev in the south. How does it get to all these places? &#8220;Through\ncontaminated plant nurseries, through the wind and streams,&#8221; says Erez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first glance, the Ambrosia plant looks harmless: Its stems are hairy, with prickly leaves and a yellow-green inflorescence. But the hazard is not visible. Its inflorescence consists of cups containing large amounts of pollen. These pollens are capable of traveling great distances in the air. In the United States, Ambrosia pollen was carried 640 kilometers from the seashore, where the plant was growing, up the country, and reached heights of three kilometers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/29026792681_4c0ccaef1c_o.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The genus Ambrosia includes 42 species native to the Americas. The plant has a notorious reputation of being an aggressive invader. Photo by Radu Chibzii on Flickr<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Highest\nallergy rate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the\nblooming period (summer and autumn), the Ambrosia pollen can cause allergy\nsymptoms in sensitive populations, which make up a staggering 10-20 percent of\nthe world&#8217;s population. &#8220;When the pollen grains reach the exposed tissues\n&#8211; the skin, the respiratory system, the digestive system &#8211; they may cause\nrashes, itching, mucus secretion, tears, and asthma,&#8221; says Dr. Yifat Yair\nfrom the Faculty of Agriculture at the Hebrew University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;During\nmy PhD thesis, under the supervision of Prof. Baruch Rubin, I collected pollen\ngrains from different types of Ambrosia and made extracts from them,&#8221; says\nYair. We tested these extracts on 163 people who came to allergy clinics and\nagreed to participate in the study in two hospitals in Israel. According to the\nstudy&#8217;s results, 17 percent of the subjects responded to the Ambrosia confertiflora,\n8 percent to Ambrosia tenuifolia, and 5 percent to Ambrosia artemisiifolia,\nwhich is common in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ambrosia pollen grains are almost invisible and unnoticeable, but they stick to the body and clothing easily. Therefore, the authorities recommend for those who suffer from allergies to stay indoors and prevent pollen from entering the house by leaving shoes outside, changing clothes, and washing off potential pollen grains. Some experts even recommend installing designated filters in apartments, to prevent the pollen from entering the house. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-020-15586-1\">Europe<\/a>, about 13 million people suffer from Ambrosia artemisiifolia allergies. The economic losses involved are enormous and amount to about \u20ac7 billion a year, which the pollen-sensitive population spends on allergy treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3141\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/brittany-colette-CDN2nTKfrA-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>During the blooming period (summer and autumn), the Ambrosia pollen can cause allergy symptoms in sensitive populations, which make up a staggering 10-20 percent of the world&#8217;s population. Photo by Brittany Colette on Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Immediate\nthreat to agriculture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The impact of the Ambrosia plant is not limited to human health &#8211; Ambrosia confertiflora also has detrimental effects on agricultural crops and wild vegetation. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sviva.gov.il\/InfoServices\/ReservoirInfo\/DocLib2\/Publications\/P0701-P0800\/P0707.pdf\">species poses an immediate threat to agriculture and to natural systems.<\/a>&#8221; Ambrosia confertiflora forms a very dense and thick cover that displaces other local plant species, and its resistance to herbicides and the spread of its deep and branched roots make it difficult to treat its infestation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It is\nhard to get rid of this plant,&#8221; says Daniela Kafri, an herbalist at the\nMinistry of Agriculture. &#8220;The root and the plant itself have a structure\nthat is designed to withstand harsh conditions.&#8221; In fact, mowing the plant\nis not helpful because it regenerates quickly (the plants regenerate within\njust five weeks after mowing in optimal weather conditions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto the Ministry of Environmental Protection, uprooting might be effective in\nvery young plant individuals, but removing established individuals (above 10\ninches in height) is ineffective as parts of the roots remain in the soil.\n&#8220;The problem with Ambrosia is that it is impossible to simply uproot it\nfrom the ground: its roots are both vertical and horizontal,&#8221; says Kafri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another\nproblem in dealing with Ambrosia is that common herbicides in Israel are not\nvery effective because the plant is likely to regenerate after spraying.\n&#8220;We try all kinds of substances and preparations to kill the plant, but it\nis very difficult to find something that works,&#8221; explains Kafri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The impacts on public health and agriculture caused the European countries infected with the ambrosia plant to join forces. To this end, they established the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/internationalragweedsociety.org\/?page_id=129\" target=\"_blank\">International Ragweed Society<\/a>, an association aiming to implement monitoring and pest control strategies for the Ambrosia plant and disseminating information to the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-1536x1151.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/metrolist-services-kZ4G8x-aipo-unsplash-2048x1535.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the &#8220;species poses an immediate threat to agriculture and to natural systems. Photo by MetroList Services on Unsplash<\/em>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Fighting\nAmbrosia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A similar\ncoalition was founded in Israel. For the past five years, the Ambrosia infestation\nhas been dealt with by a team consisting of members of the Nature and Parks\nAuthority, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of\nAgriculture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The\nplant propagates in two ways &#8211; with the help of its seeds as well as its\nroots,&#8221; explains Dr. Erez from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.\n&#8220;Therefore, we have created an ambrosia treatment protocol: the idea is to\nreach the area before the plant reaches its flowering stage, spray it pesticide\nregularly, and dry it, thus preventing further seed dispersal. If the plant is\nlarge &#8211; some reach 2 meters in height &#8211; spraying is ineffective: the amounts of\npesticide we will need to use will be enormous, too expensive, inefficient, and\npolluting. Therefore, we mow the plant, stack the mowed weeds, put a black\ncover over them and let them dry,&#8221; Erez says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;The\nplant we have mowed is then allowed to regrow. As soon as it starts leaving, it\nis sprayed with pesticides that enter the plant tissue, penetrate the roots,\nstop their growth and eliminate the plant. Some of the substances we use are\ngermination inhibitors. After the spraying, we return to the site every few\nmonths and examine the plant&#8217;s condition &#8211; sometimes you need a second and\nthird round of spraying,&#8221; he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\nare seeing a significant reduction of large infestation sites and the\ndisappearance of some of them, but that is not enough. We need to produce more\npublic information on how to prevent further dispersal,&#8221; says Kafri.\nAccording to her, the plant is spread by humans due to a lack of awareness:\nDispersal mainly happens due to the unintentional removal of seeds or plant\nparts that are being moved to other places on vehicles or agricultural\nmachinery, for instance. The spread can also come from unaware travelers who\ninadvertently carry seeds or plant parts that stick to their clothing and\nfootwear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ambrosia\nconfertiflora has been in Israel for 30 years, but unlike in Europe and the US,\nthere does not seem to be enough awareness of its effects. &#8220;I keep asking\nmyself how can it be that people do not report allergy symptoms because of the\nAmbrosia. It turns out the public simply does not know any better. There may be\npeople who struggle with allergy symptoms caused by Ambrosia, but they do not\nknow the source of their allergy,\u201d Kafir adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently, the expert team maps the spread of Ambrosia confertiflora in Israel and works to locate and treat some of the known hotspots in public spaces and agricultural areas. Information about infestation centers is obtained from a network of reporters, including rangers from the Nature and Parks Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture, but not only they can report. Anyone who finds an ambrosia hotspot can go to the website of the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.il\/en\/service\/ambrosia_confertiflora\" target=\"_blank\">Ministry of Environmental Protection<\/a>, report their observation, and help in the effort to treat and eliminate the spread of Ambrosia confertiflora.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/opinion\/israeli-experts-struggle-with-one-of-the-countrys-most-aggressive-pest-639568\">The Jerusalem Post<\/a>&nbsp;on 08\/22\/2020.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The genus Ambrosia includes 42 species native to the Americas. The plant has a notorious reputation of being an aggressive &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":3151,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,9],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1598258497:11"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["In the United States and Europe, measures are already underway to stop the spread of Ambrosia confertiflora, a particularly aggressive invasive plant that originated in America. However, Israel is still not sufficiently aware of its harmful effects on public health and the environment. A team of experts is trying to change the situation"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_oembed_375670ddffa1930967f0e58b934f15b5":["<iframe title=\"Ambrosia in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8ll8vb6A9tU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_375670ddffa1930967f0e58b934f15b5":["1598258229"],"_thumbnail_id":["3151"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3130"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3155,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3130\/revisions\/3155"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3130"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3130"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3130"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}