Clinging Perennial Weed Problem Grows

As agriculture adopts low tillage methods, perennial weeds are becoming a growing problem. One of the worst is redvine, Brunnichia ovata, a perennial woody vine, whose deep roots make control difficult. Researchers studying the mechanisms that allow the vine to climb have made two new discoveries. When the tendrils of redvine rub against an object, phenols in the plant react with polyphenol oxidase to form a sticky adhesive that the vine uses to cling. Secondly the researchers found that cells in the vine's tendrils produced lignin fibre, previously found only in trees. The lignin appears after coils form in the tendrils, allowing them to fix their position, ensuring a tight clasp on the host.

Link: New Insight into a Clinging Vine from the Agricultural Research Service of the US Depsrtment of Agriculture

Posted by Eric La Fountaine at 11:52 AM on September 23, 2005