Arvenses technical sheet: Sida acuta

Dear readers, we continue with the description of plants that are considered weeds or weeds in tropical ecosystems, it is important to know the biodiversity of agricultural ecosystems, since, in agricultural ecosystems, wild plants that are part of the productive planning of farmers begin to proliferate. These plants must be identified and characterized because sometimes they can interfere with the agronomic activities of the agricultural producer, if that were the case, the production costs for the management of these plant species can be increased.

In this opportunity we will make the description of a plant that proliferates in most of the areas destined to the production of pastures in the southern area of Lake Maracaibo and that sometimes its control can be a little complex, we refer to the acuta Plant well known in the area by its vulgar name Escobilla which we will talk about later. Without further ado let's get started.

- DESCRIPTION ECO-BIOLOGICAL: it Is a plant-aggressive, erect growth, and the height is approximately 1 meter, it is adapted to tropical climates and with a range that varies between 0 and 1800 metres above sea level (m.s.n.m), the area of the municipality Columbus of the Zulia state, in the south of lake Maracaibo, Venezuela is 15 m.s.n.m the plant thrives in areas of forage crops in the soils of wetlands, dry, and clay loam, is distributed in the form of small patches and spreads through the ecosystem through seeds by the action of the animals, the wind, insects among other means of dispersion.

- MORPHOLOGICAL DESCRIPTION: Taproot, Woody stem is covered with small hairs, Leaves alternate, oblong- lanceolate or ovate, irregularly serrated, are pubescent when young, have short petiole, Flowers the petals are yellow or white, it is united, the stamens are numerous, small seeds.

- DAMAGES AND USES let's start by pointing out that it is a plant that has certain healing attributes according to what we have been able to observe in some publications, in our geographical area it is used for the preparation of brushes with which spaces are cleaned with soil, those who do it cut the branches of the plant join them in groups and attach it to a wooden stick; that is why it is called a brush.

In terms of the damage it may cause in ecosystems cultivated, are serving as hosts to some pathogenic organisms such as nematodes, mites, and viruses, can also generate competition with grasslands and in times of drought it can steal a large part of the acreage, in addition to some researchers mentioned that can cause metabolic damage caused by the animal if the animal come to consume in excess.

Dear readers, the escobilla is a plant that is difficult to control within livestock ecosystems, since, its radical system is pivoting, therefore, it tends to deepen a lot which generates a good anchoring by the plant, therefore, if we allow it to develop on the surface, the costs for control will increase, since, it can be controlled manually and by its difficult extraction, the stumping technique can be applied by cutting the plant and applying a systemic herbicide to the uncovered tissue in a localized way that affects the vegetative organs remaining in the soil.