Some researchers argue that, because of the close relationship shared between kudzu and humans since the Neolithic, human harvesting is the main ecological control mechanism that keeps kudzu in check in its natural range. In Eastern Asia, where kudzu is a valuable plant with many benefits to humans, many millennia of human selection and cultivation have facilitated the spread of the plant to new areas and resulted in a broad, adaptable gene pool. However, although humans have provided benefits to kudzu, harvesting the vines and roots regularly would decrease the plant's competitiveness and aggressive growth, meaning humans have essentially served as a biological control for kudzu.
Some researchers argue that, because of the close relationship shared between kudzu and humans since the Neolithic, human harvesting is the main ecological control mechanism that keeps kudzu in check in its natural range. In Eastern Asia, where kudzu is a valuable plant with many benefits to humans, many millennia of human selection and cultivation have facilitated the spread of the plant to new areas and resulted in a broad, adaptable gene pool. However, although humans have provided benefits to kudzu, harvesting the vines and roots regularly would decrease the plant's competitiveness and aggressive growth, meaning humans have essentially served as a biological control for kudzu.