Suppressing the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) saves soil moisture reserves
Tölgyesi C, Tóth V, Hábenczyus AA and others. Biological invasions, August 2024.
Go to the paper May need a subscription · doi:10.1007/s10530-024-03346-x
What this paper is about
Common milkweed is invasive in the dry sandy grasslands of Central Europe, and it is deep-rooted with large leaves. The authors measured soil moisture to 120 cm under seven milkweed stands against uninvaded reference sites, then treated the stands and measured again.
Suppressing the milkweed left more water in the soil, which is an effect on the whole system rather than on the plants it competes with.
Summarised here from the abstract below. Not the authors’ words.
Abstract
Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) is a widespread invasive alien forb in dry sandy habitats of Central Europe. It adversely affects native plant and animal communities, but its ecosystem-level effects, particularly on hydrology, are little known. Since milkweed has an extensive, deep root system and large, broad leaves, we assumed a negative effect on the soil moisture content of the hosting ecosystem. Following the before-after control-impact protocol, we first compared the soil moisture content of the top 120 cm of the soil under seven milkweed stands to that of non-invaded reference sites. We then treated half of the stands by mechanically removing all aboveground milkweed biomass and repeated the comparative soil moisture measurements. We found that milkweed stands had significantly drier soils than reference grasslands during the growing season, but the soil under milkweed stands recharged to the level of the references in autumn and winter. However, the amount of moisture needed for this recharge was lost from deeper percolation to groundwater. Milkweed treatment prevented the depletion of moisture during the growing season, saving 21.6 l m⁻² of water on average. Treatment did not affect non-milkweed plant biomass, thus, moisture patterns could fully be attributed to the milkweed stands. Our results reinforce the importance of milkweed suppression in invaded grasslands, as, besides enabling the recovery of the native grassland ecosystem, it promotes groundwater recharge, which is particularly important in the dry regions of Central Europe, currently facing severe aridification due to climate change and unfavourable land use trends.
Abstract reproduced from the published paper, which is licensed CC BY. Copyright remains with the authors.
Milkweeds in this paper
- Common Milkweed Asclepias syriaca
Find the paper
Cite this page
This page is licensed CC BY 4.0. Quote it, adapt it and reuse it, including commercially, as long as you credit Milkweed USA and link back.
Milkweed USA. (2026). Suppressing the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) saves soil moisture reserves (listing). Retrieved DATE, from https://milkweedusa.com/research/suppressing-the-invasive-common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-l-saves-2024/
"Suppressing the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) saves soil moisture reserves (listing)." Milkweed USA, 2026, https://milkweedusa.com/research/suppressing-the-invasive-common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-l-saves-2024/. Accessed DATE.
Milkweed USA. "Suppressing the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) saves soil moisture reserves (listing)." Last modified 2026-08-01. Accessed DATE. https://milkweedusa.com/research/suppressing-the-invasive-common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-l-saves-2024/.
@misc{milkweedusa_researchsuppressingtheinvasi,
title = {Suppressing the invasive common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) saves soil moisture reserves (listing)},
author = {{Milkweed USA}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://milkweedusa.com/research/suppressing-the-invasive-common-milkweed-asclepias-syriaca-l-saves-2024/},
note = {Accessed DATE}
}