Found in St. Petersburg weed in Turkish thyme could reduce yield by 95%

In the seaport of the Northern capital, experts did not miss a large batch of Turkish seasoning. In 8 tons of dried thyme, seeds of a quarantine plant were found. This was reported in the North-Western interregional management of Rosselkhoznadzor.

During phytosanitary control, inspectors noticed suspicious grains. Laboratory studies confirmed that the cargo was contaminated with the seeds of the dows. This weed is included in the unified list of quarantine objects of the EAEU, so the import of products into Russia was banned.

Povelika is an extremely dangerous parasite. It does not have the usual roots and leaves: it clings to crops and sucks all the juices out of them. Because of this neighborhood, yields can collapse by 80-95%. In addition, the weed carries viral diseases and spoils food, causing poisoning in animals.

The seeds of this plant have high survivability and retain the ability to germinate for several years. If the contaminated batch hit the shelves, the weed could easily spread with the waste or through the soil. There is no immediate threat to humans, but the environmental and agricultural damage would be enormous.