FILE: <ch-92.htm> GENERAL INDEX [Navigate
to MAIN MENU ]
|
Ambrosia artemisifolia -- Compositae, Asteraceae (Contacts) ----- CLICK on Photo to enlarge &
search for Subject Matter with Ctrl/F. GO TO ALL: Bio-Control Cases An informal
cooperative project began in 1965 with Canadian, United States and Soviet
scientists, which revealed the identity of 450 species of insects, mites and
fungi that are natural enemies of 17 species of Ambrosia in North and South America (Harris & Piper
1970, Kovalev 1971, 1980; Goeden & Ricker 1976). Over 30 species of natural enemies were
introduced to the Soviet Union during 1967-79 (Kovalev 1971, 1980; Goeden et
al. 1974b). Host plant specificities
of the candidate natural enemies were tested in quarantine in the Soviet
Union, which involved eight varieties of sunflower, Helianthus anuus
L. (Asteraceae), as the critical test plants, 18 species of Helianthus and 80 species of
cultivars representing 46 genera and 18 families of plants (Kovalev 1970),
using a procedure named the "centrifugal testing method" (Wapshere
1974). Four species of
insects that were obtained from the same species of plants in their native
North America had been released by 1980 to establish a complex of natural
enemies in the Soviet Union. Ragweed
insects included Tarachidia candefacta Hübner (Lepidoptera:
Noctuidae), a defoliator from Canada and California and released on A. artemisiifolia in 1969 and on A. psilostachya
in 1972, respectively (Kovalev & Runeva 1970, Kovalev & Samus 1972,
Gilstrap & Goeden 1974, Goeden et al. 1974). Brachytarsus tomentosus (Say) (Coleoptera:
Anthribidae), a pollen-feeding beetle was first released in the northern
Caucasus in 1978. Euaresta bella Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae), a monophagous seed
feeding fly obtained from Canada was released in the northern Caucasus in the
1970's with unknown results. Zygogramma saturalis (F.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), another
defoliator obtained from Canada and the United States, was released in 1978
(Kovalev 1980, Julien 1982, Goeden & Andrés 1999). The first natural
enemy released for ragweed control in the Soviet Union was Tarachidia candefacta, and the first natural enemy intentionally
introduced into Europe from North America for biological control of a noxious
plant. Specially designed oviposition
units were used in mass rearing this species, where eggs were deposited on
hanging threads. Larvae were fed a
prepared diet (Kovalev & Runeva 1970, Kovalev & Nayanov 1971). Although established on both A. artemisiifolia and A.
psilostachya, it seems to
have been unsuccessful as a biological control agent primarily because of predation
of the exposed larvae (Goeden & Andrés 1999). Spectacular results
were, however, obtained with Zygogramma
saturalis. This beetle was mass reared at several
laboratories beginning in 1979 and following its initial winter's survival;
it was released in the southern Soviet Union and Transcaucasia to the Far
East (Kovalev & Medvedev 1983, Kovalev & Vechernin 1986). Larvae and adults feed on leaves and
flowers throughout the growing season and range of A. artemisiifolia
from April to mid September. Two
complete and a partial third generation are produced annually (Kovalev
1980). Seventh generation Z. suturalis formed feeding fronts consisting of a stable
nondeclining wave of beetles which moved at a constant rage and which were
considered an isolated population wave (Kovalev & Vechernin 1986). In one locality at Stravropol the insects
were concentrated in a narrow band at 5,000 individuals per m3,
which completely destroyed all the ragweeds as it moved across an infested
field at a rate of 3 me per day (Goeden & Andrés 1999). About 10 million beetles were concentrated
in a circular feeding front with a length of 1.5 km and a breadth of ca. 10
m. The controlling action of these
feeding fronts on ragweed, greatly increased yields of sainfoin, maize and
alfalfa 2-3 times (Goeden & Andrés 1999). REFERENCES: [Additional
references may be found at: MELVYL
Library ] Gilstrap, F. E. & R. D. Goeden. 1974. Biology of Tarachidia candefacta, a Nearctic noctuid introduced into the
U.S.S.R. for ragweed control. Ann. Ent. Soc.
Amer. 67: 265-70. Goeden, R. D. & L. A. Andrés. 1999. Biological control
of weeds in terrestrial and aquatic environments. In: Bellows, T. S. & T. W. Fisher (eds.), Handbook of Biological Control: Principles and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, New York. 1046 p. Goeden, R. D. & D. W. Ricker. 1976. The phytophagous
insect fauna of the ragweed, Ambrosia
psilostachya, in southern
California. Environ. Ent. 5: 1169-77. Goeden, R. D., L. A. Andrés, T. E. Freeman, P. Harris, R. L.
Pienkowski & C. R. Walker.
1974a. Present status of
projects on the biological control of weeds with insects and plant pathogens
in the United States and Canada. Weed
Sci. 22: 490-95. Goeden, R. D., O. V. Kovalev & D. W. Ricker. 1974b.
Arthropods exported from California to the USSR for ragweed
control. Weed Sci. 22: 156-58. Harris, P. & G. L. Piper.
1970. Ragweed (Ambrosia spp.: Compositae): its
North American insects and possibilities for its biological control. Commonw. Inst. Biol. Contr. Tech. Bull.
No. 13: 117-40. Julien, M. H. (ed.). 1982. Biological control
of weeds: a world catalogue of agents
and their target weeds, 1st ed.
Commonw. Agric. Bur., Slough, U.K.
108 p. Julien, M. H. (ed.). 1987. Biological control
of weeds: a world catalogue of agents
and their target weeds, 2nd ed.
Commonw. Agric. Bur. Int., Wallingford, U.K. 150p. Julien, M. H., J. D. Kerr & R. R.
Chan. 1984. Biological control
of weeds: an evaluation. Prot. Ecol.
7: 3-25. Kovalev, O. V. 1970. Biological control of Ambrosia weeds, p. 354-55. In: Proceedings of the 7th International
Congress of Plant Protection, 1969, Paris, France. Kovalev, O. V. 1971. [Phytophages of ragweeds (Ambrosia L.) in North America
and their application in biological control in the U.S.S.R.]. Zoologichesky Zhurn. 50: 199-209. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. 1973. Modern outlooks of biological control of
weed plants in the U.S.S.R. and the international phytophagous exchange, p.
166-71. In: P. H. Dunn (ed.), "Proceedings of the III
International Symposium on Biological Control Of Weeds, 1971, Rome, Italy. Kovalev, O. V. 1974. Development of a biological method of
controlling weeds in the USSR and the countries of Europe, p. 302-309. In: E. Fm. Shumakov, G. V. Gusev & N. S. Fedorinchik
(eds.), Biological Agents For Plant Protection. Publ. House "Kolos," Moscow. 408 p. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. 1980. Biological control of weeds: accomplishments, problems and
prospects. Zashchita Rasteniy.
5: 18-21. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. & L. N. Medvedev. 1983. Theoretical basis
of introduction of ragweed leaf beetles of the genus Zygogramma Chevr. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in the USSR
for biological control of ragweed.
Ent. Obozr. 62: 17-32. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. & N. I. Nayanov. 1971. A moth against
ragweed. Zemledelie 6: 36. Kovalev, O. V. & T. D. Runeva. 1970. Tarachidia candefacta Hubn. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an efficient phytophagous insect for
biological control of weeds of the genus Ambrosia
L. Acad. Sci. U.S.S.R. Ent. Rev.
49: 23-36. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. & V. I. Samus. 1972. Biology of Tarachidia candefacta Hubn. and prospects of its use to control
common ragweed. U.S.S.R. Agric. Biol.
7: 281-84. [in Russian]. Kovalev, O. V. & V. V. Vechernin. 1986. Description of a
new wave process in populations with reference to introduction and spread of
the leaf beetle Zygogramma suturalis F. (Coleoptera:
Chrysomelidae). Ent. Obozr. 65: 21-38.
[in Russian]. Wapshere, A. J.
1974. A strategy for
evaluating the safety of organisms for biological weed control. Ann. Appl. Biol. 77: 201-11. |
%20-Ambrosia_artemisiifolia.jpg)