Indispensable Tool for Ragweed Control in Europe

Technical Data Sheet

The Rapidly Growing Ambrosia artemisiifolia Problem: Health Challenges Ambrosia artemisiifolia (ragweed) has been introduced in Europe where it is a major cause of pollen allergies. The invasive weed continues to spread in large parts of Continental Europe and thereby increasingly threatens public health. Agricultural Challenges Ragweed also causes major agricultural concerns as it is widely regarded as a di cult to control, persistent weed. The costs associated with ragweed control have been estimated at several hundreds of millions of euros arising from both public health and agricultural concerns.

The Spread of Ambrosia artemisiifolia: Presence of Ambrosia artemisiifolia by Country Ragweed’s rapid growth leads to spreading. Ragweed seeds No data begin germinating in March. Flowering begins around mid-August, No introduction reported and pollen is continuously produced until October. Seeds are Low number of introductions – very low reproductory success. Weed absent or very rare formed between September and October. A single plant can Low number of introductions –low reproductory success. Weed rare or very rare produce approximately 3,000 seeds and can germinate for Repeated introductions – reproductory success – limited expansion. more than 10 years. Human activities including agriculture are Weed rare – naturalized on some part of the territory amongst the most e cient means of distributing ragweed seeds. Repeated introductions – reproductory success – in expansion. Non common plant or rare. Naturalized on some part of the territory with areas of high density Ragweed is particularly present as a weed in crops like Repeated introductions – reproductory success – common plant. sorghum, peas, and sunfl ower. In spring crops, ragweed Naturalized on the entire territory with areas of high to very high density can be very destructive to crops if not well controlled. Source: Observatoire Ambroisie Fredon France Ragweed was introduced to Europe during the 20th century, especially during World War I, and is currently found in many countries in Europe such as France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, and the Balkans.

Ambrosia artemisiifolia Risk to Public Health: A single ragweed plant can release more than one billion pollen grains that are wind dispersed up to a radius of 100 kilometres. Ragweed pollen is intrinsically far more allergenic than grass pollen: fi ve pollen grains per m3 of air su ces to trigger allergic reactions in humans. Ragweed causes severe allergies during fl owering time in August and September. People sensitive to ragweed pollen may su er from symptoms such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis, tracheitis, asthma, or skin disorders such as hives or eczema. Mean sum of airborne Ambrosia pollen (2004–2013) No data Researchers participating in the EU Atopica (https://www.atopica. 1–60 61–600 3001–6000 6001–8972 eu/) project indicate that ragweed sensitization will more than Source: Sikoparija, B., Skjøth, C.A., Celenk, S. et al. Aerobiologia double by 2041-2060 increasing from 33 million to 77 million (2017) 33: 181. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10453-016-9463-1 people. Those projections are primarily driven by assumptions regarding climate change but also refl ect current trends in At fl owering time, the plant has developed into the spread of this invasive plant species across Europe. a bush that can exceed 1 meter in height.

Visit us at corteva.com. ®, ™ Trademarks of DuPont, Dow AgroSciences and Pioneer and a liated companies or their respective owners. Negative Economic Impact on Crops: Growers are facing the full impact of ragweed infestation as they have to deal with both the economical and agricultural impact in their fi elds as well as allergies caused by the presence of ragweed. In the absence of e ective ragweed control measures, a crop will su er from fi erce competition for water and nutrients. Average yield loss in sunfl ower crops is estimated at 300kg per hectare at a ragweed density of 10 plants per m by Terres Inovia (The French Technical Center for Oilseed Crops). Potential crop yield can be reduced from 20% to 70% depending on the year. Sunfl ower producers need innovative ragweed control tools including new and e ective herbicides as well as herbicide tolerant sunfl ower varieties.

Ambrosia artemisiifolia regulation in Europe: Baseline (1986–2005) Far Future (2041–2060) Ragweed is listed in the EPPO list of invasive alien plants as it has a high potential for spread which poses a huge threat to plant health. The EPPO strongly recommends countries where ragweed Percentage of Population Sensitized to Ragweed has been reported to take measures to prevent further spread Pollen at Baseline and in the Far Future or to manage established weed populations (for example by Source: Lake IR, Jones NR, Agnew M, Goodess CM, Giorgi F, Hamaoui-Laguel L, Semenov MA, Solomon F, Storkey J, Vautard R, Epstein MM. 2017. Climate change and future pollen informing the public, restrictions on sale and planting, and weed allergy in Europe. Environ Health Perspect 125:385–391; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP173 control measures). There is no specifi c European regulation for control of ragweed besides an European Directive which sets the maximum levels of Ambrosia spp. seeds in products intended for animal feed (Commission Regulation (EU n° 744/2012). Some countries in Europe have decided to implement local specifi c plans for ragweed control (like Hungary and France) that aim to monitor and control the spread of ragweed. The e ectiveness of preventative and curative actions depends much on the mobilization and cooperation across multiple stakeholders (public and private) within a territory.

Arylex™ active as a Tool for Ragweed Control in Sunfl ower: Arylex™ active o ers a new, versatile tool for ragweed control in sunfl ower crops. Arylex™ active belongs to a new class of chemistry, the Arylpicolinates, within HRACs Group O (Synthetic Auxins). Herbicide solutions like Viballa™ and Helianthex™ powered by Arylex™ active will control key broadleaf weeds, Treated with Arylex™ Untreated like Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Chenopodium album, Xanthium spinosum and Abutilon theophrasti currently not fully controlled by existing herbicide solutions.. In particular, it provides an unprecedented control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia even on biotypes resistant to other modes of action, such as ALS, and even at developed stages of the plant. By signifi cantly reducing the number of plant survivors, it reduces the production of pollen. Arylex™ formulations can be safely used on conventional and herbicide-tolerant sunfl ower varieties.

For more information on Ambrosia artemisiifolia, visit: http://internationalragweedsociety.org https://www.atopica.eu https://www.eppo.int/

Flowering ragweed

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