DATE:     10/2/98
CONTACT:  H. B. Jackson Jr., (864) 646-2131
WRITER:   Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343

Unwelcome Weed Spreads to Six S.C. Counties

     CLEMSON -- Tropical soda apple, a weed native to Argentina
and Brazil, has spread to six South Carolina counties since it
was first found in Bamberg County in 1995.
     "We found it in mid-September on a 60-acre section of
cut-over timber land near Callison in the southwestern part of
Greenwood County," said Jack Jackson, head of the Department of
Plant Industry at Clemson University.
     The weed has also been found in the counties of Bamberg,
Beaufort, Colleton, Lexington, Orangeburg, Saluda and Edgefield.
It has been eradicated from Lexington and Orangeburg counties.
     Tropical soda apple (TSA) first became a problem in this
country in the late 1980s in south Florida. It is spread
primarily by cattle, in commercial manures and in animal waste
being spread on pasture or fallow land.
     Jackson said the weed thrives in shade or sun, has no
natural enemies and produces between 40,000 and 50,000 seeds a
year. Once it takes hold, it spreads rapidly, choking out all
other vegetation.
     TSA is a broad-leafed plant which grows as tall as six feet.
It is covered with half-inch thorns and bears yellowish fruit the
size of cherry tomatoes. Each plant bears about 100 fruit, each 
of which can contain hundreds of seed. Grazing cattle eat the
fruit and quickly spread the seed across a pasture or from state
to state by way of manure.
     Jackson urges South Carolina cattlemen and farmers to be on
the lookout for TSA and to notify the Department of Plant
Industry or their local county agent so any infestation sites can
be treated immediately. He said a quick survey may be performed
by inspecting fencerows, feeding areas and areas where cattle
rest.
     "To prevent fruiting, we spray each plant we find with the
herbicide Remedy," Jackson said. The Department of Plant
Industry, USDA's Plant Health Inspection Service and Clemson
Extension county agents have been working on TSA monthly since
June.
     "We don't really have enough manpower to keep up with this 
weed," he said. He thinks the site near Callison may have been
infested
several years ago by the use of animal wastes as fertilizer. 
     For more information on TSA, call the Clemson University
Department of Plant Industry at (864) 646-2131.
                              END