Efficacy of the stem-galling moth Epiblema strenuana Walk. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) as a biological control agent for ragweed parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.)
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Published source details
Navie S.C., Priest T.E., McFadyen R.E. & Adkins S.W. (1998) Efficacy of the stem-galling moth Epiblema strenuana Walk. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) as a biological control agent for ragweed parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.). Biological Control, 13, 1-8.
Published source details Navie S.C., Priest T.E., McFadyen R.E. & Adkins S.W. (1998) Efficacy of the stem-galling moth Epiblema strenuana Walk. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) as a biological control agent for ragweed parthenium (Parthenium hysterophorus L.). Biological Control, 13, 1-8.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.
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Grow plants that compete with damaging weeds Action Link |
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Grow plants that compete with damaging weeds
A replicated study in 1996 in a greenhouse in Queensland, Australia (Navie et al. 1998) found that under competition from buffelgrass Cenchrus ciliaris, the weed ragweed parthenium Parthenium hysterphorus had reduced average height (29.9 cm vs. 39.8 cm in control plots), weight (1.63 vs. 7.72 g/plant) and reproduction (373 vs. 1880 mature seed heads/plant and 1140 vs. 4970 viable seeds/plant). The experiment also found that the ragweed borer moth Epiblema strenuana reduced ragweed parthenium size and reproduction, and that the moth and buffelgrass competition together had a greater effect on seed head production than each did individually. Ragweed parthenium was planted in 15 pots with buffelgrass and 15 without. Two weeks after sowing, plants were thinned to one ragweed parthenium and three buffelgrass seedlings/pot. Within each set of 15 plants, five received 10 ragweed borer eggs 35 days after germination and five received 10 eggs 53 days after germination. The experiment ran for 120 days.
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