History and management in East and South-east Asia

In East and South-east Asia, parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) has invaded many countries, including Vietnam in 1922, Southern China in 1926, Japan in 1972, Taiwan in 1988, Korea in 1993, a new second introduction has been identified in Northern China (Shandong Province) in 2004, and it has been found in peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak in 2013 and Thailand in 2016. This chapter discusses the history of invasion, background, spread and management (using chemical, cultural, physical and biological control methods) of pathenium weed in East and South-east Asian countries. Only a limited amount of information is available on the incidence of parthenium weed in these countries. More survey work is suggested to determine the full extent of the parthenium weed invasion. Although some countries have reported the presence of the weed and have some knowledge of its spread, legislative frameworks to help prevent further invasion and spread of parthenium weed are still needed. Also, educational tools need to be developed to raise public awareness. Methods to prevent further spread need to be implemented, including restrictions on the movement of seed lots and food products from infested to non-infested weed-free regions, and the potential for future biological control investigated.