<P> Most mechanical means of kudzu removal practiced in the southeastern United States involve mowing the vine or cutting it back . These methods, though more effective than herbicides, are more time consuming . Vines must be mowed down just above ground level every month or two during the growing season in order to prevent them from growing back . When using this method of kudzu control, all of the plant material must be removed and / or destroyed (burned) to prevent the vines from taking root and re-growing . Another method of mechanical removal is to remove the crown of the plant . This part must also be destroyed to prevent re-implantation . </P> <P> A different and less time consuming option for the control of kudzu is treatment with herbicides . Some common herbicides used are picloram and triclopyr; the most effective are picloram and tebuthiuron . However, chemical treatments are expensive, and killing off the plant completely requires large amounts of herbicides (40 - 80 gallons per acre). Herbicides are found to be most effective when they are used during the typical growing season, June--October, and when used for successive years . One case study saw a significant decrease in the growth of kudzu after just two years, whereas another study required the use of the herbicide for up to ten years . </P> <P> Another form of chemical removal other than herbicides is soil solarization . Soil solarization is a thermal (heat) method that utilizes solar - enhanced heating of the soil to kill the root system of the plant, thereby avoiding the use of pesticides and other more dangerous (fire - based) means to control the plant . Soil solarization affects the micronutrients and macronutrients in the soil . The most prominent effect of this method of control is the increase in potassium . The higher level of potassium in all soils undergoing solarization demonstrates the successful release of K from decomposing kudzu plant tissues . Such a rise in potassium levels by solarization is important for soils in the Southeastern United States that tend to be highly weathered and generally have low potassium contents . </P> <P> As chemical treatments are often ineffective for long term control and mechanical removal is likewise difficult and costly for long - term control, kudzu makes a good candidate for biological pest control . There are several biological means that are already in place and more that may be implemented to control the growth of kudzu . Bacterial blights, insect herbivory, and insect seed predation occur in high levels in field populations of kudzu . Seed predation is quite prevalent, with up to 81% of seeds incurring damage in populations studied in North Carolina . A different survey found twenty - five different species of insect feeding on the kudzu . From this survey, several leaf - feeding beetles and sawflies that have no other known hosts were identified . A separate study also found two weevils that attacked the stems of kudzu and eight beetles that complete larval development in the kudzu roots . When evaluations of potential control agents are made, the range of the control agents must be taken into account . Organisms that feed on kudzu will often feed on similar non-target species that are important in agriculture, such as soybeans and hog - peanuts . Potential control agents have to be rejected if they are shown in laboratory and field tests to feed on these non-target plants . </P>

How has the introduction of kudzu affect native species in the southeastern united states