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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fort Lauderdale, Florida » Invasive Plant Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #157201
Title: POST-RELEASE PROCEDURES FOR BIOLOGICAL CONTROL AGENTS OF AQUATIC AND WETLAND WEEDS

Author
item Center, Ted
item Pratt, Paul

Submitted to: Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/9/2004
Publication Date: 11/1/2004
Citation: Center, T.D. 2004. Post-release procedures for biological control agents of aquatic and wetland weeds, pp. 71-84. In: E.M. Coombs, J.K. Clark, G.L. Piper, and A. F. Cofrancesco, Jr. (editors). Biological Control of Invasive Plants in the United States. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 467pp.

Interpretive Summary: The classical biological control of a weed entails a multi-step process. Initial phases of a project involve determination of the foreign origin of the weed, faunal inventories of associated plant-feeding arthropods and phytopathogens in the area of origin, and preliminary host range determinations of promising agents. Arthropod candidates that exhibit a limited host range and seem able to effectively damage the target weed are then transferred to domestic quarantine facilities for final evaluation. These aspects of a project are most often emphasized while procedures involved in the release and establishment of new biological control agents, development of field colonies, monitoring of dispersal and non-target effects, and performance evaluation are given less attention. This paper attempts to establish a set of standard procedures and a sequence of approaches for post-release handling of new biological control agents specifically for use against invasive weeds in aquatic and wetland ecosystems.

Technical Abstract: The classical biological control of a weed entails a multi-step process. Initial phases of a project involve determination of the foreign origin of the weed, faunal inventories of associated plant-feeding arthropods and phytopathogens in the area of origin, and preliminary host range determinations of promising agents. Arthropod candidates that exhibit a limited host range and seem able to effectively damage the target weed are then transferred to domestic quarantine facilities for final evaluation. These aspects of a project are most often emphasized while procedures involved in the release and establishment of new biological control agents, development of field colonies, monitoring of dispersal and non-target effects, and performance evaluation are given less attention. This paper attempts to establish a set of standard procedures and a sequence of approaches for post-release handling of new biological control agents specifically for use against invasive weeds in aquatic and wetland ecosystems.