Alhagi maurorum (camelthorn)
Identity
- Preferred Scientific Name
- Alhagi maurorum Medik.
- Preferred Common Name
- camelthorn
- Other Scientific Names
- Alhagi camelorum Fischer
- Alhagi canescens (Regel) Keller & Shap.
- Alhagi graecorum Boiss.
- Alhagi kirghisorum Schrenk
- Alhagi mannifera Jaub & Spach
- Alhagi persarum Boiss. & Buhse
- Alhagi pseudalhagi Desv.
- Alhagi tournefortii Heldr.
- Hedysarum alhagi L.
- Hedysarum pseudalhagi M. Bieb.
- International Common Names
- Englishcamel thorn bushCaspian mannaPersian manna
- Frenchalhagi des Maures
- Local Common Names
- GermanyKameldorn, Manna-Mannastrauch
- Indiabharbharajawasa
- Israelmanna
- Italylupinella alhagimanna di Persia
- South Africakameeldoringbosvolstruisdoring
- EPPO code
- ALHGR (Alhagi graecorum)
- EPPO code
- ALHMA (Alhagi maurorum)
Pictures
Vegetative shoot
A. maurorum is a small perennial thorny shrub, intricately branched, generally growing to 1 m tall. The greenish stems bear numerous axillary spreading spines, green, 2-4 cm long with yellow tips.
©Chris Parker/Bristol, UK
Deep root system
Partially excavated shoot of A. maurorum, showing deep root system, Pakistan. The root system may be more than 2 m deep with a lateral spread of greater than 8 m.
©Chris Parker/Bristol, UK
Alhagi maurorum
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
Steve Dewey, Utah State University, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
Steve Hurst, USDA NRCS PLANTS Database, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Alhagi maurorum
John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, bugwood.org
Refer to Bugwood: http://www.bugwood.org/ImageUsage.html
Distribution
Host Plants and Other Plants Affected
| Host | Host status | References |
|---|---|---|
| Brassica rapa subsp. oleifera (turnip rape) | Main | |
| Citrus | Other | |
| Gossypium (cotton) | Unknown | Bükün (2005) Muhammad et al. (2012) |
| Medicago sativa (lucerne) | Main | Hassannejad and Ghafarbi (2014) |
| Pennisetum glaucum (pearl millet) | Main | |
| Phoenix dactylifera (date-palm) | Other | |
| Pistacia vera (pistachio) | Unknown | Mohammadi et al. (2006) |
| Trifolium resupinatum (Shaftal clover) | Other | |
| Triticum aestivum (wheat) | Main | Hassannejad and Ghafarbi (2013) Hassannejad et al. (2014) Rahmatullah and Bhatti (2001) Abdul et al. (2009) Ihsan et al. (2011) |
Prevention and Control
Cultural Control
Preventive measures in infested areas include the use of certified seeds and by preventing grazing and ground disturbance to reduce the spread of root fragments. Flooding can control A. maurorum by preventing oxygen availability to plant roots and has been used in infested areas by covering with 15-25 cm of water for 3 to 8 weeks in summer, being more effective in sandy soil than in clay soil (Robbins et al., 1956; Muzic, 1970).
Mechanical Control
To control the spread of A. maurorum in winter wheat, an early harvest in early June and deep ploughing before A. maurorum fruits ripen has been recommended (Allanazarova, 1967). Singh et al. (2001) have found hand weeding and weeding by a dry land weeder to be effective for controlling A. maurorum in pearl millet fields in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Preventive measures in infested areas include the use of certified seeds and by preventing grazing and ground disturbance to reduce the spread of root fragments. Flooding can control A. maurorum by preventing oxygen availability to plant roots and has been used in infested areas by covering with 15-25 cm of water for 3 to 8 weeks in summer, being more effective in sandy soil than in clay soil (Robbins et al., 1956; Muzic, 1970).
Mechanical Control
To control the spread of A. maurorum in winter wheat, an early harvest in early June and deep ploughing before A. maurorum fruits ripen has been recommended (Allanazarova, 1967). Singh et al. (2001) have found hand weeding and weeding by a dry land weeder to be effective for controlling A. maurorum in pearl millet fields in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Chemical Control
Due to the variable regulations around (de-)registration of pesticides, we are for the moment not including any specific chemical control recommendations. For further information, we recommend you visit the following resources:
•
EU pesticides database (http://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/eu-pesticides-database/)
•
PAN pesticide database (www.pesticideinfo.org)
•
Your national pesticide guide
Impact
A. maurorum occurs as a weed throughout its native range though there are no data on actual economic costs. Where introduced in Australia, A. maurorum is considered one of the three most troublesome weeds, because when plants are mechanically weeded, stems and roots break off readily spreading the species to waste places and agricultural fields (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992). A. maurorum is a potential weed host for Cuscuta spp. in the Middle East (Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq) and the high incidence of Cuscuta in sugarbeet fields is facilitated because of the nearby presence of A. maurorum infected with Cuscuta spp. (Mamluk and Weltzien, 1978).
Information & Authors
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Copyright
Copyright © CABI. CABI is a registered EU trademark. This article is published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
History
Published online: 16 November 2021
Language
English
Authors
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