Weed Risk Assessment System to Assess Invasive Potential of Bioenergy Crop Species

Scientists from the University of Hawaii report the use of a Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) system to predict if introduced bioenergy crop species will become invasive in their region. The study is published in the open access journal, PLoS ONE (URL above). The WRA protocol "examines a plant's biology, geographic origin, pest status elsewhere, and published information on its behavior in Hawaii to identify plants with a high risk of becoming invasive pests in Hawaii or other Pacific islands". The results show that about 70 percent of the list of regionally suitable fuel crops "have a high risk of becoming invasive versus one-quarter of non-biofuel plant species and are two to four times more likely to establish wild populations locally or be invasive in Hawaii or in other locations with a similar climate". However, high risk biofuel crops can be grown if risk-reducing measures are implemented. According to co-author, Christopher Buddenhagen, "By identifying the species with the highest risk, and pushing for planting guidelines and precautionary measures prior to widespread planting, we hope to spare the Hawaiian Islands and similar tropical ecosystems from future economic and environmental costs of the worst invaders while encouraging and promoting the use of lower risk alternative crops."