Plant Protection - Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum)
In the early 1980's, a new invasive weed from South America known as tropical soda apple (TSA) was introduced to Florida. TSA has since spread to over 1 million acres in Florida and surrounding states. This weed is listed on the USDA-APHIS Federal Noxious Weed List and is a nuisance to livestock, rangeland, and row crop management in Georgia. TSA reproduces rapidly and is easily dispersed by cattle, wildlife, and various farming operations such as harvesting forage grasses and row crops. Seeds of TSA are spread by the interstate movement of livestock. TSA seed have even been found in commercial seed. TSA rapidly colonizes new areas threatening our agricultural and native ecosystems. TSA quickly chokes out forage grasses causing ranchers to incur additional production costs by feeding forage to livestock rather than allowing livestock to graze. The TSA problem has gotten so bad in some locations that ranchers and row crop farmers have abandoned pastures and fields. Labor and herbicide costs for TSA control are a burden.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture has documented Tropical Soda Apple on nearly 15,000 acres in Georgia. TSA is most commonly spread though the movement of livestock. TSA fruit is appealing to livestock, and the seed remain viable as they pass through the digestive track of foraging animals. Plant Protection Section Inspectors began battling this weed in 1998. During our peak eradication efforts, Plant Protection Section Inspectors contributed over 6,000 work-hours annually to combating TSA.
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Tropical Soda Apple Regulations (304KB)
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