Parrot’s feather: Biological control using plant pathogens

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

5%
Certainty

10%
Harms

0%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Background information and definitions

Plant pathogens have been used to control invasive aquatic plants by inducing plant mortality (Charudattan 2001). The introduction of pathogens may impact non-target species and therefore in-depth studies investigating possible undesired consequences should be undertaken prior to the application of any plant pathogen. The use of fungal-based herbicides to control parrot’s feather is discussed under ‘Biological control using fungal-based herbicides’ and the use of herbivores for the biocontrol of control parrot’s feather is discussed under ‘Biological control using herbivores’

Charudattan, R. (2001). Biological control of weeds by means of plant pathogens: significance for integrated weed management in modern agro-ecology. BioControl, 46, 229-260.

Study locations

Key messages

One study in South Africa found that parrot’s feather plants survived after being treated with a strain of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A study in South Africa (Morris et al. 1999) reported that parrot’s feather Myriophyllum aquaticum plants treated with a strain of the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris did not die. After treatment with a suspension of the bacterium all parrot’s feather sections above the water died. However, after six weeks new shoots developed from the submerged stems leading to plant recovery. No data or statistics were reported. Plants were sprayed with a suspension of the bacterium at a concentration of 10⁸ colony-forming units/ml. Authors do not report where or when the trials were conducted.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
Morris M., Wood A. & Den B.A. (1999) Plant pathogens and biological control of weeds in South Africa: a review of projects and progress during the last decade. African Entomology Memoir, 1, 129-137.

Please cite as:

Aldridge, D., Ockendon, N., Rocha, R., Smith, R.K. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Some Aspects of Control of Freshwater Invasive Species. Pages 555-87 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Control of Freshwater Invasive Species

Related Actions

Actions	Effectiveness	Studies	Category
Parrot’s feather: Use of herbicides - endohall Action Link	Likely to be beneficial	3	Synopsis Link
Parrot’s feather: Biological control using plant pathogens Action Link	Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)	1	Synopsis Link
Parrot’s feather: Biological control using fungal-based herbicides Action Link	No evidence found (no assessment)	0	Synopsis Link