Invasive Plant Species in Ghana: Route of Spread, Socio-Economic and Environmental Impact

Abstract

Globally, there has been a rapid increase in biodiversity loss, these losses have been attributed to habitat loss and invasive flora and fauna species. Extensive work has been done on the losses brought about by invasive fauna species, however, the impact of invasive flora species has less been explored in Ghana. This review focused on the various alien plant species found in Ghana and the factors that support their spread, establishment, and colonization. Findings indicate that the common invasive plants in Ghana are Chromolaema odorata, Calopogonium mucunoides, Cedrella ordorata, Leucaena leucocephala, Broussonetia papyrifera and Prosopis glasdulosa, Azardiracta indica, Echinochloa colona, and Leucaena leucocephala. The economic losses and environmental impact of these plant species were also reviewed. This review revealed that there is an urgent need to initiate interventions to control the rapid spread of invasive plant species, those measures should be cost-effective and eco-friendly.

Effect of Irrigation Regime and Soil Nutrients on the Growth of the Paddy Weed Heteranthera reniformis and Rice Grain Yield

“…Menalled et al [27] also reported that agricultural practices affect the abundance of and variation in weeds in the long term. In some cases, invasive weeds proliferate, becoming dominant and affecting the ecosystem [28,29]. Ismail et al [30] illustrated that although the CI regime was put in place to suppress the growth of weeds, these weeds also adapted to flooding owing to the evolution of flood tolerance genes.…”