Biological Control of Weeds in Australia

Mic Julien, Rachel McFadyen, Jim Cullen, Mic Julien, Rachel McFadyen, Jim Cullen

• Publisher: CSIRO PUBLISHING
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780643099937
• eBook ISBN: 9780643104211
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Ecology
• Index: Technology & Engineering

Biological control of weeds has been practised for over 100 years and Australia has been a leader in this weed management technique. The classical example of control of prickly pears in Australia by the cactus moth Cactoblastis cactorum, which was imported from the Americas, helped to set the future for biocontrol of weeds in many countries. Since then there have been many projects using Classical Biological Control to manage numerous weed species, many of which have been successful. Importantly, there have been no serious negative non-target impacts – the technique, when practised as it is in Australia, is safe and environmentally friendly. Economic assessments have shown that biocontrol of weeds in Australia has provided exceedingly high benefit-to-cost ratios.

This book reviews biological control of weeds in Australia to 2011, covering over 90 weed species and a multitude of biological control agents and potential agents. Each chapter has been written by practising biological control of weeds researchers and provides details of the weed, the history of its biological control, exploration for agents, potential agents studied and agents released and the outcomes of those releases. Many weeds were successfully controlled, some were not, many projects are still underway, some have just begun, however all are reported in detail in this book.

Biological Control of Weeds in Australia will provide invaluable information for biological control researchers in Australia and elsewhere. Agents used in Australia could be of immense value to other countries that suffer from the same weeds as Australia. The studies reported here provide direction to future research and provide examples and knowledge for researchers and students.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Foreword
• List of contributors
• Introduction
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Biological control of Australian plants: a South African and US perspective
• Acacia nilotica subsp. indica (Benth.) Brenan – prickly acacia
• Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.) King & Robinson – crofton weed
• Ageratina riparia (Regel) K. & R. – mistflower
• Alternanthera philoxeroides (Martius) Grisebach – alligator weed
• Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. – annual ragweed
• Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis – Madeira vine
• Argemone mexicana L. and Argemone ochroleuca Sweet – Mexican poppy
• Asparagus asparagoides (L.) Druce – bridal creeper
• Asphodelus fistulosus L. – onion weed
• Baccharis halimifolia L. – groundsel bush
• Billardiera heterophylla (Lindl.) L. Cayzer & Crisp – sollya
• Bryophyllum delagoense (Ecklon & Zeher) Schinz – mother-of-millions
• Cabomba caroliniana Gray – cabomba
• Carduus nutans L. – nodding thistle
• Carduus pycnocephalus L. – slender thistle
• Carthamus lanatus L. – saffron thistle
• Cassinia spp. – cassinia
• Chondrilla juncea L. – skeleton weed
• Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson – chromolaena
• Chrysanthemoides monilifera (L.) T. Norl. – bitou bush and boneseed
• Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore – spear thistle
• Cryptostegia grandifolia (Roxb.) R. Br. – rubber vine
• Cylindropuntia imbricata (Haw.) F.M. Knuth – rope pear
• Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link – broom, Scotch broom or English broom
• Echium plantagineum L. – Paterson’s curse
• Eichhornia crassipes (Martius) Solms-Laubach – water hyacinth
• Emex australis Steinheil – doublegee
• Eremophila mitchellii Benth. – budda
• Euphorbia paralias L. – sea spurge
• Fumaria spp. – fumitory
• Genista monspessulana (L.) L. Johnson – Cape broom
• Harrisia (Eriocereus) martinii (Labour.) Britton – Harrisia cactus
• Heliotropium amplexicaule Vahl – blue heliotrope
• Heliotropium europaeum L. – common heliotrope
• Hypericum perforatum L. – St John’s wort
• Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. – hyptis
• Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn. – ragwort
• Jatropha gossypiifolia L. – bellyache bush
• Lantana camara L. – lantana
• Lantana montevidensis (Spreng.) Briq. – creeping lantana
• Macfadyena unguis-cati (L.) A.H.Gentry – cat’s claw creeper
• Marrubium vulgare L. – horehound
• Mikania micrantha Kunth – mile-a-minute
• Mimosa diplotricha C.Wright ex Sauvalle – giant sensitive plant
• Mimosa pigra L. – mimosa
• Moraea flaccida Sweet – one-leaf Cape tulip
• Nassella trichotoma (Nees) Hack ex Arechav. – serrated tussock
• Onopordum acanthium L. – Scotch thistle
• Opuntia robusta H. L. Wendl. ex Pfeiff. – wheel cactus
• Opuntia spp.
• Parkinsonia aculeata L. – parkinsonia
• Parthenium hysterophorus L. – parthenium
• Phyla canescens (Kunth) Greene – lippia
• Pistia stratiotes L. – water lettuce
• Prosopis spp. – mesquite
• Raphanus raphanistrum L. – wild radish
• Reseda lutea L. – cutleaf mignonette
• Rubus fruticosus L. aggregate – European blackberry
• Rumex spp. – docks
• Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitchell – salvinia
• Senecio madagascariensis Poir. – fireweed
• Senna obtusifolia (L.) Irwin and Barneby – sicklepod
• Sida acuta Burm.f – spinyhead sida
• Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertner – variegated thistle
• Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav. – silverleaf nightshade
• Sonchus oleraceus L. – sowthistle
• Sporobolus spp. – weedy sporobolus grasses
• Tribulus terrestris L. – caltrop
• Ulex europaeus L. – gorse
• Xanthium occidentale Bertol. – Noogoora burr
• Xanthium spinosum L. – Bathurst burr
• Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng. – arum lily
• Index: Scientific names of weeds
• Index: Common names of weeds
• Index: Key words