Objective:
To facilitate and perform discovery and development of biological control agents against invasive weeds.

Approach:
Core funding supports detailed work on five weeds currently identified as primarily important. If additional weed species are targeted then the budget will be adjusted accordingly. The basic pattern of the work is to 1) perform literature and personal review of existing information in order to optimize chances of finding weeds in their native ranges where biological control agents are most likely to be encountered, 2) find populations of the weed species in its native range, 3) perform surveys for herbivorous insects, mites, and pathogens associated with the weed species, 4) test efficacy and specificity of possible biological control agents in field trials in the native range as well as in facilities in Italy, 5) ship potential biological control agents under appropriate permits to quarantine facilities of cooperating stakeholders, 6) report results annually and comprehensively in English in a format that can be widely distributed by ARS, and 7) publish results in peer reviewed journals as appropriate. This work will be performed in cooperation with EBCL staff as appropriate and involve other collaborators as determined necessary by BBCA.