Floral entrepreneurs: Kudzu as agricultural solution and ecological problem

The history of claimsmaking by applied scientists about kudzu (Pueraria lobata) in the American South reveals three distinct periods: a period of enthusiasm when kudzu was defined as an agricultural solution (1977-1953), a time of disenchantment when kudzu was defined as an ecological problem (1954-1984), and a period of tempered enthusiasm when new uses for kudzu were proposed (1985-present). Experts framed scientific findings within a social context of assumptions about the usefulness of applied science, controlling kudzu, kudzu's Japanese origins, and Southern race relations. Thus, claims about kudzu illustrate the construction of applied scientists' claims.