John, how is it going with your research on water hyacinth?

Well, I went on
a field trip on my own and collected the primary data. After I came back, I
also referred to the published data. So, what do you know about this plant?
The water hyacinth grows in tropical countries. It has beautiful purple blue
flowers, but everybody hates it. Why is that? The water hyacinth, as the
world's worst invasive aquatic plant has attracted significant attention.
(especially of plants or a disease) tending to spread prolifically and
undesirably or harmfully.
in a way that produces a great number or amount of something
Millions of these plants grow in rivers and lakes and are brought huge
environmental and cultural problems to the local people. Farmers cannot
travel in boats on the water and thus cannot fish in it. In addition, heavy
free-floating mats of water hyacinth are clogging the dam at the power
station West Africa. Turbines of the power station are often shut down
because of the intertwined leaves. Dams often cease to function as a
result, severely restricting the electricity generation. Dense mats of water
hyacinth also shade the surface and prevent algae (tảo) growth, thus
limiting the production of oxygen and threatening the survival of fish. So,
where did water hyacinth originate from? The water hyacinth is native to
the Amazon basin in Latin America. It’s spread mainly to the tropics and
subtropics from much of the world since the 1800s. Later, it was introduced
into Europe and Africa as an ornamental garden pond plant due to its
beauty. Flowers of this plant were being sold in local markets and African
countries as a source of income for women. Since the 1900s, this weed
has infested (to cause a problem by being present in large numbers) lakes,
rivers and creeks of the delta areas in West Africa. I guess whoever
introduced this plant had never expected the disastrous impact it would
have on the local ecological environment. What kind of habitat does water
hyacinth thrive most in? Well, it’s been discovered that the nutrient rich
environment contributes significantly to the rapid proliferation of this weed,
which obtains its nutrients directly from the water. This is normally
compounded with a decrease of nutrients along the river banks. Why is
that? The main reason for soil nutrient loss is that local residents cut down
trees. Excessive deforestation accelerates soil erosion, which indirectly
compounded this year. Without enough trees to retain nutrients in the soil,
frequent rain might partly aggravate (to make a bad situation worse) this by
carrying some of the nutrients into the waterways. Are there any effective
measures to control or even eradicate this weed? Yes. A number of
approaches have been widely applied throughout the world. Among them,
biological control, is the most widely favored long term control method by
introducing a type of insects that feeds on the water hyacinth. So far,
Nigeria has used this method for six months. However, water hyacinth
won't be removed and immediately the side effects of this method on local
ecology will remain unforeseen for years because it takes time for this
external insect species to reach a density sufficient enough to affect
ecological development. Then what about other approaches? Is there a
quicker way to control it? Well, the mechanical removal of water hyacinth is
seen as the best short-term solution. This option includes harvesting plants
and inside cutting. This method can immediately open physical space for
fish and boat traffic. It is, however, inefficient for workers to process
expensive areas and costly to use large cutting and dredging equipment.
Ironically, it costs even more to dispose of this plant than to remove it. Can
we make use of this weed and turn it into something good? Now scientists
think that water hyacinth can be useful. The plant itself, although more than
95% water, has a fibrous tissue and a high energy and protein content and
can be used for a variety of useful applications. So, what do people do with
water hyacinth that is initially removed? First, the cut down water hyacinth
is left to dry under the sun for a few days before being mixed with ash and
animal manure. The mixture can be used as alternative soil rather than
fertilizer. It can grow crops with increased yield. That sounds interesting.
Mushroom farmers can benefit from water hyacinth as well, using the
mixture mentioned earlier. Mushrooms generally grow much faster so that
farmers can harvest mushrooms sooner, which enables them to make
money faster. I see. It can be used to grow oyster and straw mushrooms,
right? Yes. In India, attempts have been made to grow the types of edible
mushrooms organically utilizing water hyacinth. These mushrooms provide
sufficient nutritional values, including minerals and high-quality protein,
which are essential to people's level of fitness. Right. Are there any other
measures taken to utilize water hyacinth? In South East Asia, people feed
cows using chopped water hyacinth mixed with other vegetables. Then the
waste from the cows is treated to produce methane gas, which can be used
as fuel for cooking, lighting or powering an engine. And with global warming
getting worse, developing alternative sources of energy will be more urgent
than ever. Maybe in the future people will love water hyacinth instead of
hating it. Yes, that's very likely. If we can make full use of this, we'd.