Project Number: 5325-22000-025-08
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 01, 2010
End Date: Sep 30, 2013

Objective:
Yellow starthistle and Scotch thistles are important invasive weeds in the western USA that originated from the Mediterranean Region. Little is known about insects attacking these plants in Turkey. We will determine the identity, host specificity and impact of insects attacking these plants in Turkey to assess their potential as biological control agents.

Approach:
Surveys will be conducted in Turkey to find insects that attack yellow starthistle and Scotch thistle. The taxonomic identity of insect species will be determined, and information on geographic distribution and known host plants will be summarized. Experiments will be conducted to evaluate the host plant specificity and potential impact on the target weed of the most interesting insect species under field and/or laboratory conditions. Live specimens will be sent to the USDA-ARS quarantine laboratory for further host specificity studies with native North American plant species.