Alien species of Ipomoea in Greece, Türkiye and Iran: distribution, impacts and management

By

Sohrabi, Sima
Yazlık, Ayşe
Bazos, Ioannis
Gherekhloo, Javid
Kati, Vaya
Kitiş, Yasin Emre
Arianoutsou, Margarita
Kortz, Alessandra
Pyšek, Petr

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025

Original Publication

NeoBiota : advancing research on alien species and biological invasions

Volume

97

Pages

135--160

Subjects

biological invasion , casual plant , Herbicides , Management , naturalized plant

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sophia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/neobiota.97.131827

 

Abstract

New introductions of alien Ipomoea species and their negative impacts have increased in Greece, Türkiye, and Iran. However, little is known about their current status, distribution, impacts, and management. Here, we provide a detailed overview of Ipomoea species in these countries and discuss the current and proposed management options for restoring invaded plant communities. We report on four alien Ipomoea species in Greece (three naturalized and one casual), 10 in Türkiye (eight naturalized and two casual), and 11 in Iran (eight naturalized of which two are invasive and three casual). Their most significant negative impact was detected in agricultural areas, especially in spring crops like soybean, cotton, and maize, with I. hederacea, I. purpurea, and I. triloba being the most troublesome weeds. Native plants are mainly threatened by I. indica, I. leucantha, and I. triloba. The management of Ipomoea species differs according to the habitats invaded; in agricultural areas, the management is more dependent on the host crop and the available registered herbicides, whereas in areas with natural habitats, other management options such as mechanical and biological measures are more appropriate. The information from this work will be useful for the early detection of Ipomoea species in countries neighboring the already invaded ones.