Aiding the Functional Eradication of Japanese Knotweed through a Herbaceous Plant Mixture
Arbogast, Abigail
Arbogast, Abigail
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Abstract
Japanese knotweed is an invasive plant that takes over ecosystems, decreases biodiversity, and has allelopathic effects on soil. These effects greatly harm both plants and wildlife by destroying habitats. The banks of the Mad River face the effects of Knotweed the greatest, with degradation of the banks destroying habitats and increasing erosion. Removal of knotweed through digging, pulling, and cutting during the growing season, from June to August, should be followed by planting a native herbaceous mixture that will outcompete knotweed. This project aims to find a herbaceous plant mixture native to Vermont that will aid in restoring the native ecosystem when paired with invasive species management techniques. Prairie cordgrass, jewelweed, sensitive fern, and goldenrod, along with a herbaceous mix of all four plants and a conservation mix, were planted in both knotweed-infected soil and unaffected native soil. Soil was collected from Farley Park in Waitsfield, Vermont, in order to replicate the environment of the Mad River Valley in the summer season at the Stafford Greenhouse at the University of Vermont. Over the course of three months, plants were grown in the pots in the greenhouse, which produced a variety of grasses and small herbaceous plants from the conservation mix. Prairie cordgrass was one of the four plants that were planted for the study, and could be a promising herbaceous plant to compete with knotweed. Further data analysis will be completed in the coming weeks to confirm results.
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Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Junior (Graduating in 2027)
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Poster
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Environmental Science
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Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
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Physical Science