Floating pennywort: Use of hydrogen peroxide

Overall effectiveness category Unlikely to be beneficial
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

10%
Certainty

60%
Harms

not assessed

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Treatment with hydrogen peroxide offers a potential control method for floating pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides when applied at very high concentrations.

Study locations

Key messages

A controlled, replicated pilot study in The Netherlands, found that hydrogen peroxide sprayed on potted floating pennywort plants resulted in curling and transparency of the leaves when applied at the highest tested concentration (30%), but this was still not sufficient to kill the plant.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A controlled, replicated experiment in 2010 in greenhouses at Plant Research International in Wageningen, The Netherlands (Joost van der Burg 2010) found that hydrogen peroxide sprayed on potted floating pennywort Hydrocotyle ranunculoides plants resulted in curling and transparency of the leaves when applied at the highest tested concentration (30%), but this was still not sufficient to kill the plant. Leaf transparency and curling was visible after three hours. A 10% concentration also had clear effect but killed few of the leaves, with about half of the leaf surfaces affected. Lower concentrations had little effect. Stolones and shoot tips, though all above ground, were not affected in any treatment. The roots were immersed in the mud and not affected either. The higher concentrations (10% and 30%) were reported to be hazardous to people who carry out the spraying. Test plants were newly grown cuttings 22 days old. Five treatments were chosen: 0, 0.3, 3, 10 and 30% hydrogen peroxide in water with four replications.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Joost van der Burg W. (2010) Effect of hydrogen peroxide spraying on Hydrocotyl ranunculoides L.f. survival. Plant Research International, Wageningen report, 9pp.

Please cite as:

Aldridge, D., Ockendon, N., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Some Aspects of Control of Freshwater Invasive Species. Pages 555-87 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

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This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Control of Freshwater Invasive Species

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Floating pennywort: Biological control using co-evolved, host specific herbivores Action Link	Unlikely to be beneficial	1	Synopsis Link
Floating pennywort: Physical removal Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	2	Synopsis Link
Floating pennywort: Excavation of banks Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link