Andrew McConnachie - First release of Liothrips tractabilis in South Africa - June 2014 скачать в хорошем качестве

Andrew McConnachie - First release of Liothrips tractabilis in South Africa - June 2014

Andrew McConnachie- Agricultural Research Council- Plant Protection Research Institute. Pompom weed (Campuloclinium macrocephalum) originates from Central and South America and was first detected in South Africa in 1962. Pompom weed started slowly extending its range and in the 1990’s and 2000’s it entered a dramatic expansion phase. An invader of grasslands, savannas and wetlands, pompom weed reproduces and spreads via numerous wind dispersed seeds. Pompom weed has a negative impact on our biodiversity and a biological control was initiated against it on 2003. Two rust fungi and nine insect species have been found to be associated with the plant and its native range. Mound Pereya (Liothrips tractbilis) and (Cochylis campuloclinium) and one pathogen (Puccinia eupatorii) were rated (based on damage, range and abundance) as having the most potential for successful control of Pompom weed. The stem deforming thrips L. tractabilis was selected as the first insect agent to be developed and was approved by authorities for release in June 2013. The first field releases were made in October 2013 in Pretoria (Rietvlei Nature Reserve). Since then successful releases have been made more widely at sites in the Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo and North West provinces, in accordance with a strategy developed by the National Pompom Steering Committee.