Kudzu Pollution

So it's not just an eyesore
Kudzu Plant: Source Of Ozone Pollution?
Scientists Suspect Pesky Vine Of Causing Smog And Global Warming
(AP) Kudzu, the Southern vine that makes Chia Pets of trees and telephone poles, may have yet another unwelcome characteristic: air pollution.

Researchers believe kudzu is releasing ground-level ozone, contributing to smog, breathing difficulties and global climate change.

"If we're right, then it'll be one more big reason to dislike kudzu," University of Virginia researcher Manuel Lerdau said of his preliminary findings.

The fast-growing plant covers an estimated 11,580 square miles in the United States, primarily in the Southeast. Annually, the vine adds 200 square miles to its domain.

Lerdau and fellow researcher Jonathan Hickman of the State University of New York at Stony Brook said they do not have enough data to state with certainty that kudzu warrants a major effort to curtail its growth. They are hopeful of presenting more definitive findings next year.

Kudzu produces two key ingredients of ozone: Its leaves emit a volatile organic compound called isoprene into the air, and its roots convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium, some of which can leak into the soil where it is converted by bacteria into nitric oxide.

In the presence of sunlight, isoprene and nitric oxide mix together to make ozone.