SKUAST-K warns farmers after invasive weed spotted in Srinagar

Scientists from Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) have detected Parthenium hysterophorus, a highly invasive foreign weed, in an agricultural field in Srinagar. The university has issued an advisory urging farmers and stakeholders across the Valley to prioritise early detection and caution.

Parthenium hysterophorus is an annual plant from the Asteraceae family, recognised globally as one of the most aggressive invasive weeds. It suppresses crop and native plant growth through allelopathic effects, threatens biodiversity, and produces seeds that can overwinter in Kashmir's soil, germinating between late March and early May. The detection is seen as an early warning, not a reason for panic, but scientists warn that seasonal warming could aid the weed's spread through contaminated soil, machinery, water, and seed supplies.

SKUAST-K experts advocate a comprehensive management strategy involving coordinated surveillance, rapid identification, mechanical eradication, and sustained monitoring to protect Kashmir's farmlands from wide-scale invasion.