What's New in Biological Control of Weeds? Issue 70
In this issue
Field Horsetail Project Forges Ahead
Because field horsetails has a deep root system, it is difficult to find chemicals that penetrate deep enough into the roots to be effective. As a result, field horsetail is not able to be controlled adequately and biocontrol might be the only hope of managing the plant and preventing further spread.
Promising Pathogen for Cruel Climber
The invasive climber Araujia hortorum is pollinated by insects, especially moths, and so is usually referred to as moth plant in New Zealand. However, a secretion inside the flowers sometimes traps and kills these winged visitors, so it is also known as cruel plant.
Pampas proves to be a difficult target
After three years of searching for potential biocontrol agents pampas has indeed proven to be a difficult target, but not always for the reasons we expected!
How Many Replicates Are Enough?
An essential step in the introduction of a new biocontrol agent is an assessment of the risk it poses to non-target species. Thoughtful experimental design and statistical analyses are needed to ensure valid results are produced and that their meaning can be interpreted correctly so that suitable agents are not rejected unnecessarily or unsuitable agents released.
Summer Activities
Summer is a busy time in the world of biocontrol. Some activities you may need to schedule over the next few months are listed below.
Which Insects Pose the Greatest Risks?
Our expertise in determining which insects attack which plants has recently been put to a slightly different use, i.e. helping to predict risks to native plants.
