Prosopis: A Thirsty Weed with Little Use
Published by Prosopis is a weed that has occupied every nook and corner of rural India. it poses great danger for our groundwater resources.
Prosopis: A Thirsty Weed with Little Use
© Dr.P.Elayaraja
What is Prosopis?
Prosopis is a common weed plant under the family Fabaceae. The genus contains more than ten species, which are spread in different parts of the world. Prosopis juliflora is a shrub or small tree that was introduced in India from Mexico and the Caribbean Islands. The stems have thorns measuring 1cm to 5 cm.
This plant is widely used as fodder for cattle and to border the fences of rural houses. The wood from Prosopis is used for cooking in most of the Indian villages (this firewood gives lot of smoke).
The prosopis plant is known to be a noxious invader in Australia and other countries, where it has occupies more than 800,000 hectares of arable land. Though it is not called an invader in India, it has occupied every available land for its survival.
Prosopis and Ground Water depletion
People are often carried away by few good things that they could see and ignore some important dangers that lie beneath. This is true to prosopis and its expansion over the sub-continent.
Prosopis is able to survive in arid and semi-arid conditions. It has powerful roots that absorb water from great depths. The roots are believed to penetrate several meters into the soil and also spread over a vast area, thereby depriving water to the cultivated crops and other useful plants.
These weeds absorb the groundwater for their growth and the excess water is left to the atmosphere. They are becoming the primary reason for the depletion of groundwater resources in India and other countries.
If these plants are allowed to grow for another decade, it is projected that the entire water table will be sucked by these plants.
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© 2010 Dr.P.Elayaraja
Liked it
On August 21, 2010 at 8:56 am
Its also called keekar in Punjabi, this tree has many medical uses. But about this fact I come to know for the first time. Thanks for sharing
On August 21, 2010 at 8:57 am
Great write I had not heard of this thirsty little weed until now. Nice pictures. LB
On August 21, 2010 at 9:05 am
Good article i enjoyed reading.
On August 21, 2010 at 9:41 am
Another great article and an interesting read. Thanks for sharing.
On August 21, 2010 at 9:44 am
An informative post and I had never heard of the thirsty weed prior to reading this. thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.
On August 21, 2010 at 9:59 am
Great Share
On August 21, 2010 at 10:11 am
Learned something new today Interesting!
On August 21, 2010 at 10:36 am
New thing for me
On August 21, 2010 at 10:58 am
These prosopis plants also become the bone of contention in the rural areas, when the rival groups vie with each other to cut them of for commercial purpose.But their main strength is they grow naturally(though originated elsewhere), spread rapidly and withstand even the utmost dry conditions.Of course they are more harmful than any other plants.Thanks for sharing.
On August 21, 2010 at 11:15 am
that’s another good one, Doc.
I think I need not buy or borrow books, there are so many topics to read and learn daily, including this great piece.
On August 21, 2010 at 11:22 am
Another infrmative article.
On August 21, 2010 at 12:29 pm
People are not enough aware of the dangers they can create by moving species from their natural habitat where they are kept in check by conditions, insects, birds, and animals.
On August 21, 2010 at 12:42 pm
A very useful entry. Wish it can be controlled soon.
On August 21, 2010 at 1:51 pm
I have never heard of this plant but it sounds as if it needs to be kept under control. An interesting article.
Christine
On August 21, 2010 at 2:49 pm
Water is so precious. We must do whatever it takes to preserve it. If these weed are of no use, then we must take immediate action.
On August 21, 2010 at 3:10 pm
An extremely important article and very well illustrated. Water is life, we must save it. Thank you.
On August 21, 2010 at 3:18 pm
good entry
On August 21, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Learned something new, doc.
On August 21, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Knew that these came from the Americas, but never knew this much. Thanks doc for writing about this plant which is so common that it can be considered as National Plant of many countries
On August 21, 2010 at 11:36 pm
Interesting. Learn new things. Maybe it’s time for the government to replace Prosopis with some other less thirsty plants. Thanks for sharing.
On August 22, 2010 at 2:02 am
I have never heard of this plant until now. Great share, I love learning new things. ^_^
On August 22, 2010 at 6:13 pm
Oh… this plant is villainous
On August 24, 2010 at 8:18 am
On August 24, 2010 at 10:54 am
good share. Learned something new from this post.
On August 25, 2010 at 9:57 am
This gave me something to learn from on a topic that is so important.
On August 27, 2010 at 9:30 am
Interesting read Doc cheers.
On July 23, 2011 at 2:39 am
hi raja, very good information for environmentalists and policy makers