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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #215317
Title: Insect destroyers of Tamarisk in southeastern Kazakhstan

Author
item MITYAEV, I - TETHYS
item YASHCHENKO, R - TETHYS

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/12/2006
Publication Date: 5/22/2007
Citation: Mityaev, I.D., Yashchenko, R.V. 2007. Insect destroyers of Tamarisk in southeastern Kazakhstan. Tethys Scientific Society. 184 p. (In Russian)

Interpretive Summary: Saltcedars, small trees or shrubs in the plant genus Tamarix, native in Asia and the Mediterranean area, were introduced into the U.S. in 1823 and since the late 1920s have rapidly invaded riverbottoms and lakeshores in the western U.S. where they cause great damage to native and rangeland ecosystems by displacing native plant communities, degrading wildlife and fish habitat, increasing soil salinity and wildfires, and by using large quantities of groundwater and reducing stream flow. Conventional controls provide good but only temporary control, are expensive and damage many non-target plants. Biological control is ideally suited to these conditions and is a much used and often proven technology. The general location of the authors research, eastern Kazakhstan, is one of the areas with the greatest diversity of host specific insects that attack saltcedar and could be potential biological control insects for introduction into the U.S. The authors have studied these insects in nature since the 1950s and present detailed sketches of the biology and ecology, host plants, and behavior of a large number of Tamarix-feeding insects. This is the best compilation of such information available, is beautifully illustrated and completely up to date because of their continuing research.

Technical Abstract: This monograph contains the results of research work on the insect herbivores of tamarisk in southeastern Kazakhstan, which were conducted annually for last 12 years (1994-2006), and also the information, obtained by one of the authors (Mityaev) in the mid-1950s. Studies were conducted within the framework of an international project on the development of the bases for biological control of tamarisk, supported by the Department of Agriculture USA. The book describes the general characteristics of tamarisk, its values in natural ecosystems, and its positive and negative aspects in human economic activity, brief information about the most common forms of tamarisk in southeastern Kazakhstan, and also the regional ecological- faunistic surveys of the insects that damage tamarisk, and the faunistic and zoogeographical composition with estimates of the general state of the contemporary dendrologic-entomological fauna of the tugayev area. They examine the biology, phenology and life cycles of the principal insect herbivores, and also the results of their testing on the American biotypes of tamarisk. Recommendations are given regarding the technology of introducing of these insects in the USA for use in biological control of tamarisk in North America. The book is intended for entomologists, botanists, biologists of broad qualification, plant protection specialists, quarantine inspectors, students and instructors of VUZ – Institute of Higher Education.