Kuluev B.R., Shvets D.Yu., Golovanov Ya.M., Probatova N.S.
Russian Journal of Biological Invasions 2019; 12(1): 66-78
Thladiantha dubia Bunge is a perennial herbaceous climbing liana from the family of Cucurbitaceae, which in natural conditions occurs in the Russian Far East (mainly in the south of Primorsky Krai), and beyond its limits - in Northeast China and on Korean Peninsula. T. dubia is cultivated for decorative purposes, but, due to the ability to rapidly reproduce by underground tubers, it often turns into a dangerous weed. T. dubia is common in the territory of Russia, as well as in Japan, in Europe, the USA and Canada as an adventive species. We discovered and studied the invasive population of T. dubia in several villages of the Republic of Bashkortostan, 60 kilometers north of the Ufa city. In this area, the T. dubia is known only as a malignant weed; it appeared here in the 70s of the last century and continues to spread rapidly in small pieces of tubers during the tillage. By artificial reproduction of the T. dubia with small pieces of tubers in the laboratory, we showed a very high ability of this plant to vegetative reproduction. Comparative RAPD and ISSR analyses of samples from the natural population of the T. dubia from the Primorsky Krai of the Russian Federation and its invasive population from the Republic of Bashkortostan were carried out. The genetic polymorphism between the analyzed populations of the T. dubia has been revealed, which can be a reflection of the formation of the agressive form of the T. dubia in the Republic of Bashkortostan. From our and published data it follows that the T. dubia should be referred to a weed species with a high invasive potential, and therefore all the necessary measures must be taken during its cultivation to exclude its spread in natural biocenoses and agroecosystems.
