Ecological insights and environmental threats of invasive alien plant Chromolaena odorata: Prospects for sustainable management

Abstract

The Anthropocene witnessed the landscape spread of several invasive alien plants which can remarkably influence the ecosystem services and environmental sustainability. To this end, Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) is widely identified among top hundred pervasive invaders in view of its adverse influence on environment, agriculture, and wildlife. The adverse effects of C. odorata can further be exacerbated under the event of invasion interaction with other anthropogenic stressors such as climate change. Nevertheless, there exists dearth of pragmatic studies on invasion ecology, socio-economic impacts, ecological economics, and sustainable management prospects of C. odorata. The present review discusses the invasion ecology, distribution, mechanisms, impacts, and management strategies of C. odorata invasion. The side-effects and unsustainable use of traditional control measures (e.g., controlled fire and chemical herbicides) of C. odorata paves the way to biological control methods (e.g., gall fly). However, the control measures of C. odorata need to be assessed for their long-term ecosystem level effects to mitigate the possible adverse environmental responses. The wise application of C. odorata biomass in marginal lands for soil fertility restoration, biosorption, biorefinery, bio-medicine, and bioenergy in conjunction with ecological control measures can cover economic incentive to facilitate sustainable management of C. odorata in forestry/agroforestry systems. Nevertheless, the use of weed biomass as feedstock in biorefinery and ethno-medicine may be inadequate in reducing its invasion. Future studies should explicitly elucidate the ecological mechanisms of C. odorata in concert with the quest for its field-scale application in biorefinery to augment sustainable management.