CABI and the University of Manchester are working together to track the extent of parthenium's distribution in Pakistan using Earth observation data.
Parthenium is a highly invasive plant species. It threatens agricultural productivity, biodiversity and human and animal health wherever it takes root. In Pakistan, it is known as 'famine weed' because of its devastating impact on crop yields and livelihoods. However, the range of parthenium's spread in Pakistan is largely unknown.
Through a four-stage project, CABI and the University of Manchester are seeing how new generation Earth observation data, including Sentinel missions, can provide detailed mapping of Parthenium in the major arable...