May Help Crop Plants Grow George Bowes, professor of botany, holds a sample of hydrilla - the aquatic weed which may help scientists improve the productivity of crop plants.
Hydrilla chokes boat motors, crowds native plants and prevents fisherman from fishing.
But, eventually, this aquatic nemesis may be used to improve the productivity of crop plants, said George Bowes, professor of botany. According to Bowes, hydrilla is an aquatic weed that flourishes under the conditions in Florida's lakes and waterways. Maybe some of the properties found in this weed could be transferred to other plants to enhance their growth. The problem occurs when someone dumps an exotic plant down the toilet or into a pond, and it escapes. It then has the potential to become an aquatic weed, which can cost millions of dollars to control.