Location: European Biological Control Laboratory
Project Number: 0212-22000-028-003-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: May 28, 2014
End Date: May 27, 2019
Objective:
The objective is to develop sustainable, environmentally benign methods to manage invasive plants on BLM administered lands using classical biological control. Invasive species targeted for control include: yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis), Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium), dyer's woad (Isatis tinctoria), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia), rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea), and giant reed (Arundo donax).
Approach:
The ARS-EBCL will provide research for discovery, collection, rearing, and host specificity screening of prospective biological control agents in order to obtain regulatory approval by USDA-APHIS for their introduction and release. ARS-EBCL will provide biological weed control agents to researchers at ARS laboratories and various universities in the United States involved in research on biological control. Approved agents will be multiplied and provided to the BLM for release on lands managed by them.
