Tropical Soda
Apple
Tia Bauer
Tropical Soda Apple:
Solanum viarum Duna
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
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A perennial shrub
native to Brazil and
Argentina
Has become a weed
in other areas of
South America and
in Africa, India,
Nepal, West Indies,
Honduras, and
Mexico
Recently in the U.S
Preferred Habitat
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primarily in pastures,
ditch banks, roadsides,
cattle yards, and wet
areas of various fields
cannot
survive standing water
for extended periods of
time
as a weed of nature it
preserves where it
displaces native plants
by crowding and
shading
Physical Description
Tropical Soda Apple differs from other Solanum species by having
the young fruits colored like mini-water melons, straight thorns,
and petiolate leaves.
Life Path
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Tropical soda apple reaches
maturity from seed within 105
days
It is difficult to eradicate
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Flowering and fruiting time
have not been established in
northern climates
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due to rapid regeneration of
shoots from an extensive root
system
but it is likely to flower from
June to September
One plant can produce 40,000
to 50,000 seeds
Germination rate greater than
75%.
Classification
 Species:
Solanum viarum Dunal – tropical
soda apple
 Family
Solanaceae– Potato family
 Kingdom:
Plantae- Plants
Dispersal
 means
of dispersal
of tropical soda
apple in the U.S. is
livestock and
wildlife
 raccoons, deer,
feral hogs, and
birds feeding on
fruits
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Foliage (the leaves, not
the fruit) is unpalatable
to livestock although
cattle will eat the
mature fruit
Scarification of seeds by
digestive systems of
livestock and wildlife
seems to promote seed
germination…
But not always…
The Problem…
 Tropical
soda
apple is a threat to
the vegetable
crop industry as a
competitive weed
 because it is an
alternate host for
numerous
pathogens that are
diseases
 Some
endangered
crops include:
 eggplant,
peppers,
potatoes,
tomatoes
Infections

These vegetable crop patho-gens include:
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the cucumber mosaic virus,
Gemini virus,
potato leafroll virus,
potato virus Y,
tobacco etch virus,
tomato mosaic virus,
tomato mottle virus,
and the fungal pathogen, Alternaria solani
The Cattle Industry

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It cost the cattle business
over $11 million in 1994
Damage to croplands,
forestlands, and natural
habitats and the cost of
control of currently infested
areas is difficult to
determine
has the potential to
become a major problem
throughout the southern
U.S. and could cost farmers
and the public billions of
dollars annually.
Illness occurs, including
brain damage visible
upon autopsy
Farmers and ranchers
that find tropical soda
apple quarantine their
cattle from the area as
they eliminate it.

Solutions?
 Biological:
Several species of Solanum are
native and no biological controls for
Solanum viarum are in widespread use.
 Physical No physical controls are currently
recommended for tropical soda apple.
Does anything work?

Chemical: Chemical
controls can be
effective for tropical
soda apple.
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Triclopyr
Also, Sprays containing
aminopyralid are
effective at preventing
plant growth and
germination for several
months
Mechanical Removal

Mechanical: Hand
removal is discouraged
unless extreme caution
is used.
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Plants can
regenerate from
roots, so complete
removal is necessary
Mowing is also an
effective way to
remove, even after the
flowering process has
begun.
Natural Enemies
More than 75 species of insects were
collected from tropical soda apple in the
United States
 2001, A strain of the tobacco mild green
mosaic virus (TMGMV U2), tested in
greenhouse and field trials, found to be
lethal to tropical soda apple
Predatory Insect
 Gratiana
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
boliviana
native to South
America
eats holes in the
plant's leaves,
skeletonizing and
killing it
Dangerous Introduction?
No,

this beetle eats
exclusively
tropical soda
apple, so if the
plant disappears
in an area, the
beetles will move
on or die, rather
than attacking
native
vegetation.
Should We Worry?
Sources for Images and
Information
Joá-bravo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tanaka/83698840/
 Pest Alert
http://www.wvagriculture.org/images/Plant_Industries/Tropical_Soda_Apple.pdf
 Tropical Soda Apple
http://www.gri.msstate.edu/ipams/FactSheets/Tropical_soda_apple.pdf
 Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants
http://www.gri.msstate.edu/ipams/FactSheets/Tropical_soda_apple.pdf
 Regional Soda Apple Task Force
http://www.tropicalsodaapple.org/tsabiocontrol.cfm
 What Kills Soda Apples
http://www.ehow.com/info_10047299_kill-soda-apples.html
 Google Images
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&cp=12&gs_id=1h&xhr=t&q=tropical+soda
+apple&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1095&bih=770&wrapid=tljp13358
98143639022&um=1&ie=UTF8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=JTCgT7_RNajx0gHB96mjAg
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