An apparently innocent plant, some may even like him. But appearances are deceiving, because the tuber cyperus causes problems. This exot is growing around it and is difficult to fight.
At a tuber cyperus there are small tubers and carrots under the ground. Those carrots grow aside and new tubers are coming. If you leave one such a plant and do nothing against it, that one small plant will have hundreds of tubers after a few years. That means hundreds of plants that multiply year after year.
And that is a major problem, says Bert Waterink from the Arable Touwen -Touwen branch. “This is very unwanted weeds. If a grower, for example, grows flower bulbs or seed potatoes and there is tuber cyperus in it, the harvest should not be used for exports.”
In practice, that often means a substantial cost item because the harvest is then destroyed. The grower is obliged to report that the tuber is in his field, and must therefore tackle it. Not everyone reports that he is bothered by the tuber cyperus.
Waterink argues for a broad reporting obligation and approach because it is now actually mopping with the tap open. “Otherwise it grows from the ditch to the grower who does his hard to fight the cyperus. If new tubers come from the ditch or other fields in your field, then all your hard work is to keep it out of your field for nothing.”
That is why there must be more awareness and intervention is needed immediately if it pops up. “You can’t pull it out of the ground, then there are always small tubers. You have to use a different method. You can fight it chemically, nowadays they also use steam, you can also make the soil oxygen -poor so that the plant dies. Enough options, but you really have to get started with it.”
And that is not the case. “You can’t renounce. If you think: I don’t do nothing for half a year, you will have an adult plant after half a year and you can start again.”
That is why today there is a symposium to make farmers, growers but also water boards alert at the KnolcyPerus and to inform them about the legislation. “It is important that we talk together. You just can’t figuratively put your head in the sand. Doing nothing is not an option,” Waterink concludes.