The Rising Threat of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Agriculture

A species is considered to be invasive if it establishes, persists, and spreads widely inside a natural ecosystem, stunting the growth of native plants and giving them room to overtake crops and native plants. Non-native plant species that have been brought into a new geographic area and have a negative effect on the ecosystems supporting horticulture and agriculture are known as invasive plant species. Invasive/noxious weeds, which are widely distributed in many types of ecosystems, significantly reduce crop production. Compared to native species, invading plant species have a higher potential to move their niche more rapidly and are more likely to adapt to new environments. The timing, speed, and longevity of seed germination have indeed been discovered to change as a result of climate change, which has consequences for plant invasions. More than native plant species, invasive plant species gain from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment, greenhouse gas emissions, and global warming. A loss of native biodiversity due to invasive species includes species extinction, changes in hydrology, and altered ecosystem function