ABSTRACT
Tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum Dunal), an exotic noxious weed, displaces pasture grasses and native plants resulting in significant economic and ecological losses. This perennial broadleaf weed, native to Argentina and Brazil, is 1-2 m tall at maturity, has yellowish prickles up to 20 mm long on the leaves, and the fruits are globose (2.5 cm in diameter) with the immature fruit green with white mottling (like a watermelon). Weed distribution includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina. In Florida, tropical soda apple (TSA) has been observed in pastures, citrus (Citrus spp.), sugar cane (Saccharum offinarum L.), vegetable fields, sod fields, natural areas (state parks, nature preserves, hammocks), and roadsides. Recent (1993) surveys indicate there are nearly 161,000 ha of TSA occupying improved pastures in peninsular Florida, which is an increase of 95 % from 1990. In 1995, estimated TSA infested pasture was 303,000 ha. Tropical soda apple is listed on the Federal Noxious Weed List which prohibits the possession, movement, or release of TSA. Seed production averages 50,000 per plant, seed germination is high (75%), and weed dispersion occurs from wildlife and livestock that feed on the fruit and spread seed through the feces. Weed management strategies are centered around prevention, detection and control.