Adaptability of a malignant invasive plant Parthenium hysterophorus in different types of soil

Parthenium hysterophorus is an alien weed that is highly invasive in China. To better understand the potential area of spread for P. hysterophorus, a pot experiment was conducted to study the adaptability of P. hysterophorus in 31 different types of soil. Results showed that P. hysterophorus exhibited strong adaptability to different types of soil. There were 23 types of soil suitable for its growth, which was equivalent to 74.19% of soils tested. The eight types of soil that were not suitable accounted for 25.81%. Moreover, results demonstrated that the growth of P. hysterophorus was not affected by nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter content, or soil type, but was affected by pH, soil texture, and salt content of the soil. In particular, it was adversely affected by highly acidic, clay loam or sandy soil and highly saline soil. This indicated that the soil of the mountainous regions of mid-Shandong and plain regions of northwestern Shandong were the most suitable to P. hysterophorus growth, and hill regions of eastern Shandong, plain regions of mid-Shandong and mountainous regions of southern Shandong were appropriate for its growth. However, the coastal regions of northern Shandong and plain regions of southwestern Shandong and low-lying areas were not suitable for P. hysterophorus growth.