| Prof P Prakash Babu, VC of Pondicherry University releases new book | | | AGENCIES
NEW DELHI, May 28: Prosopis, known locally as seemai karuvelam, has emerged as the world's most domineering and harmful of weeds. India is among the countries which have been very seriously hit by the prosopis menace, as prosopis is spreading and growing uncontrollably in several states, causing great harm. In the Puducherry-Tamil Nadu region, also, prosopis is seen growing almost everywhere, forever colonizing new areas at the expense of diverse vegetation. Among other attributes of major invasive species, prosopis also possesses negative allelopathy. Due to this, prosopis is able to drive away other species of plants from its vicinity and monopolise the space. So strong has been the negative impact of prosopis that in 2022 writ petitions were filed in the Madras High Court to direct the government to intervene.
In Pondicherry University former Prof S. A. Abbasi and his team has been working on finding economically viable ways and means of utilizing prosopis so that its standing biomass can be turned into a resource.
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