Brassica tournefortii Scorecard

Common Name: Saharan mustard

Scorecard created on February 22, 2010 - 3:09pm

Last Updated on July 09, 2023 - 11:13am

Results

Impact Total:13 / 35Impact = ( Spread + Damage - Benefit )

Ability to Respond Total:9 / 25Ability to Respond = ( Ease of Response + Tools in Place )

Confidence:High

Confidence Notes:

Spread	Notes	Score
Spread Rate	While Sahara mustard had initially invaded disturbed sites and the deserts, more recently, it has been spreading to coastal and inland areas and up the Central Valley. It spreads rapidly during wet years and the seeds generally persist in dry years	5
Spread Amount	Common in many Southern California locations. Populations can be found as far north as Sacramento County. Has potential to spread across large parts of California from coast to foothills.	3

Damage	Notes	Score
Ecological	Possibly increase fire frequency and intensity where fire was previously uncommon in desert scrub. Can also increase fuel loads in coastal sage scrub. Invading sensitive habitats and readily invades post-fire habitats.	4
Agricultural	Animals confined to heavy infestations can be poisoned. General agricultural weed practices can control this mustard.	1
Infrastructure	None currently known	0
Cultural	None currently known	0
Health	None currently known	0

Total		13

Ease of Response	Notes	Score
Detection	Generally easy to detect. The leaves, flowers and fruits are different from other mustards. New populations may be too remote to detect in early stages. Difficult to detect from a distance especially when other annuals are numerous.	3
Control	Can control the species with mechanical or chemical methods. Takes at least 3 years to remove seed bank. Livestock are not an acceptable control method	3

Tools in Place	Notes	Score
Entry	Nothing in place	0
Control	CDFA "C" rated pest. Local control efforts.	1
Outreach	Local outreach in Southern California. On Cal-IPC Inventory list rated "High" .	2

Total		9