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Mystery seeds can harm the economy and environment

Over the last couple weeks, people have been receiving mysterious seed packages from China, and they can lead to some harmful effects if planted.

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Over the last couple weeks, people have been receiving mysterious seed packages from China. The USDA has identified some of those seeds and is still working to analyze other samples they’ve received. 

So far, they've determined some of the seeds belong to various species, including mustard, cabbage, and various herbs like mint and rosemary. 

“The USDA is doing the due diligence right now to deal with the seeds, because in order to know that it’s an invasive, you have to know what you’re dealing with...," said TAMU Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology Kevin Ong.

Invasive species that come to a new area they’re not originally from could lead to harmful effects on that environment. 

“Invasive is something that would be able to cause economical damage as well as ecological damage because they have the potential to come into an area and take over an area, in some sense, displacing a native varieties of native species. So any one of those organisms, whether it’s a plant, a pathogen or an animal, it can come and displace natural resonance that it is a potential invasive," said Dr. Ong

Dr. Ong said the United States is so large, that certain states can have species that we do not have here in Texas, and that could be considered an invasive species.  

Aside from the ecological damage an invasive species can bring, it can also cause harmful economic and agricultural effects.

“If a new weed comes into our area or a farmer’s field, what that means is the farmer will have to spend extra dollars to deal with that weed, perhaps something that he didn’t have to do before, so he’s going to have to take a hit economically," said Dr. Ong.

He also said that it is possible in this example that the species doesn’t respond to the herbicides that are available, which will make it harder to limit its existence where it’s not supposed to be grown. 

So long story short, if you do receive these seed packages, contact the USDA right away. 

    

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