18 A Water Hyacinth Harvester
197
• Prohibiting the plant to be used as an ornament
In some countries/states, water hyacinth is prohibited to be planted and it is against
their rules. “Planting of this species in the State of Florida (U.S.) is prohibited by
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Hunsberger, 2001)” as reported
by [10].
• Swamp Devil and Harvester
Reference [11] described a swamp devil mechanical machine as a heavy-duty
aquatic vegetation cutter that features tow blades at the front which measure 2.4
meters across. The harvester had a 234-horsepower engine and can easily shred trees
up to 15 cm in diameter. After cutting the weed, it will collect and remove the portion
of the chopped debris.
The harvester can carry up to four tons of harvested weed on board in a single load.
This will depend on the weight and volume of the water hyacinth and the distance
to the shore, the harvester can potentially remove 16–32 loads of chopped hyacinths
in eight hours.
• Biological control
Water hyacinth can also be controlled by biological means. This can be done by
introducing organisms such as the water hyacinth weevil, water hyacinth moth, and
native moths which feed on water hyacinth. In additional, these organisms feed off
the leaves of water hyacinth and by doing so will reduce the spread and growth of
water hyacinth.
According to reference [12], “three biological control insects were imported,
studied, and released to control invasive water hyacinth, a floating macrophyte that
was introduced to the U.S. during in the late 1800s. Together, these insects reduce the
size and vigor of water hyacinth, and reduce flower and seed production. Individually,
however, they are not able to control water hyacinth.”
Furthermore, “Control of other aquatic weeds including water hyacinth, hydrilla,
Eurasian watermilfoil, water lettuce and giant salvinia has been less successful.
Multiple factors play a role in the failure of some biocontrol agents to reach their
full potential. For example, the Neohydronomus weevil has provided successful
biocontrol of water lettuce in other countries, but has failed to control water lettuce
in Florida, possibly due to predation of the weevil by imported fire ants.”
• Manual remove of water hyacinth
Water hyacinth can be manually removed because the plant floats in water and its
roots are not into sediments. This is the easiest and cheapest way of controlling this
weed. “Manual removal by hand or machine is a simple and cost-effective control
for water hyacinth when dealing with small infestations. Because the plant floats
and usually is not rooted into sediments, the removal of the plant is relatively easy.
Hand removal should be done as soon as possible to minimize the chance of seed
production” (Aquatic Invasive Species Quick Guide Water Hyacinth.
197
• Prohibiting the plant to be used as an ornament
In some countries/states, water hyacinth is prohibited to be planted and it is against
their rules. “Planting of this species in the State of Florida (U.S.) is prohibited by
Florida Department of Environmental Protection (Hunsberger, 2001)” as reported
by [10].
• Swamp Devil and Harvester
Reference [11] described a swamp devil mechanical machine as a heavy-duty
aquatic vegetation cutter that features tow blades at the front which measure 2.4
meters across. The harvester had a 234-horsepower engine and can easily shred trees
up to 15 cm in diameter. After cutting the weed, it will collect and remove the portion
of the chopped debris.
The harvester can carry up to four tons of harvested weed on board in a single load.
This will depend on the weight and volume of the water hyacinth and the distance
to the shore, the harvester can potentially remove 16–32 loads of chopped hyacinths
in eight hours.
• Biological control
Water hyacinth can also be controlled by biological means. This can be done by
introducing organisms such as the water hyacinth weevil, water hyacinth moth, and
native moths which feed on water hyacinth. In additional, these organisms feed off
the leaves of water hyacinth and by doing so will reduce the spread and growth of
water hyacinth.
According to reference [12], “three biological control insects were imported,
studied, and released to control invasive water hyacinth, a floating macrophyte that
was introduced to the U.S. during in the late 1800s. Together, these insects reduce the
size and vigor of water hyacinth, and reduce flower and seed production. Individually,
however, they are not able to control water hyacinth.”
Furthermore, “Control of other aquatic weeds including water hyacinth, hydrilla,
Eurasian watermilfoil, water lettuce and giant salvinia has been less successful.
Multiple factors play a role in the failure of some biocontrol agents to reach their
full potential. For example, the Neohydronomus weevil has provided successful
biocontrol of water lettuce in other countries, but has failed to control water lettuce
in Florida, possibly due to predation of the weevil by imported fire ants.”
• Manual remove of water hyacinth
Water hyacinth can be manually removed because the plant floats in water and its
roots are not into sediments. This is the easiest and cheapest way of controlling this
weed. “Manual removal by hand or machine is a simple and cost-effective control
for water hyacinth when dealing with small infestations. Because the plant floats
and usually is not rooted into sediments, the removal of the plant is relatively easy.
Hand removal should be done as soon as possible to minimize the chance of seed
production” (Aquatic Invasive Species Quick Guide Water Hyacinth.