The word "ambrosia" is translated from ancient Greek as "food of the gods." It is often found in the myths of Ancient Greece. In the 18th century, the famous botanist Carl Linnaeus named one of the North American plants ragweed.
Ambrosia - what is this plant?
Today ragweed can be found on all continents of the Earth. It is one of the most common and harmful weeds. There are three types of ragweed: perennial, tripartite and wormwood. All of them pose a huge threat to agriculture. Why is this weed so dangerous?
Ragweed strongly dries up the soil. Wormwood ragweed is especially dangerous in this respect. It consumes several times more water than all cultivated plants. A strong ragweed root system prevents wheat and peas from germinating, which can lead to the loss of the entire crop. In addition to water, the weed draws out all the trace elements necessary for useful plants from the soil. As a result, the soil "becomes poorer" and loses its fertility, and ragweed develops and can reach up to three meters in height.
Ambrosia harm to humans
Ambrosia negatively affects not only the soil and cultivated plants, but also human health. Like any weed, ragweed actively reproduces with the help of seeds and pollen, which it throws into the air in huge quantities. One plant can produce up to 100 thousand seeds per year and maintain such rates for 40 years. This pollen is a strong allergen for many people. Some are even forced to move to other areas due to the ragweed invasion. It can be fatal for children.
A dangerous weed has also spread to Germany. Biologists are sounding the alarm. Expeditions are equipped to destroy ambrosia. So far, the "captured" areas are negligible, but do not forget about the insidious ability of this plant to extract all trace elements from the soil and actively reproduce. With the right approach, there is every chance to weed out all the weeds and eliminate the threat.
Fighting ambrosia
It is much easier to prevent ragweed from appearing in a certain place than to eliminate the consequences. To do this, carefully check all the seeds that are going to be sown. The collected ragweed is transported away from highways and large cities in order to avoid the possibility of weed penetration into their territory.
Chemicals are often used in the fight against ragweed. For their effective use, it is necessary to use the rules relating to permitted pesticides in the territory of a particular state. However, the most simple and practical way of cleaning the soil from ragweed seeds remains a fallow field. After this procedure, up to 80% of the seeds are destroyed.
