Summary Increasingly, weeds have been taking on global distributions. With the proliferation of invasive weeds has come the challenge of managing these species over broad geographical regions, with diverse habitats and political jurisdictions. Here, we review the management of Mikania micrantha Kunth (Asteraceae; mile-a-minute) throughout its invaded range, extending through most of the Pacific islands and southern and south-east Asia. Context matters when determining the best course of action for managing M. micrantha, as it has invaded a large variety of agricultural and natural systems. In Queensland, Australia and Florida, USA, M. micrantha has been targeted in relatively successful eradication campaigns, highlighting the importance of early detection and rapid response methods, while elsewhere in its invaded range, populations are either still increasing or showing limited signs of decline. An inter-regional approach to research and management should incorporate successful management strategies employed throughout the invaded range including, but not limited to, chemical and cultural control practices, manual and mechanical control, classical biological control using the rust fungus Puccinia spegazzinii, plant–plant competition and integrated approaches utilising two or more control methods concurrently. Additional knowledge of M. micrantha genetics is required to determine if management approaches could be fine-tuned for particular populations. Countries bordering the Mekong River formed a network in 2011 to co-ordinate the management of invasive species such as M. micrantha. Expanding such a collaborative approach to other regions could further reduce populations of M. micrantha and limit its spread.

Site‐specific management is crucial to managing Mikania micrantha

Invasive alien plants have a significant impact on biodiversity, crop and pasture production, human and animal health, water resources, and economic development. As most low- and middle-income countries do not have the resources to actively manage invasive plants, many have intentionally introduced biological control agents to help manage their most important weeds. Some of these introductions have resulted in the successful control of numerous weeds such as Chromolaena odorata, Mimosa diplotricha, Pistia stratiotes, and Salvinia molesta. These successes are partly due to the reliance on biological control agents that have been tested and utilized elsewhere. However, despite the successes in weed biological control to date, many low- and middle-income countries are reluctant to pursue weed biological control, due to poor perceptions of biological control and lack of capacity. This results in missed opportunities to manage many weeds cost-effectively, and in so doing, increasing production costs and a dependency on herbicides.

Weed biological control in low- and middle-income countries.

CITATION: Daehler, C. C., Van Kleunen, M., Pysek, P & Richardson, D. M. 2016. EMAPi 2015 : highlighting links between science and management of alien plant invasions. NeoBiota, 30: 1-3, doi:10.3897/neobiota.30.9594.

https://neobiota.pensoft.net/lib/ajax_srv/article_elements_srv.php?action=download_pdf&item_id=9594

EMAPi 2015: Highlighting links between science and management of alien plant invasions

The host specificity of Leptinotarsa undecimlineata Stål, a candidate biocontrol agent for Solanum torvum Sw. (turkey berry) a woody pasture weed in Vanuatu was investigated. In no-choice tests, adult L. undecimlineata beetles fed and oviposited on eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) plants, which also supported development of first instar L. undecimlineata larvae through to adult. A systematic review of field host records indicated that L. undecimlineata has never been reported to attack S. melongena throughout most of its native range in Mexico, the Antilles and Colombia, although minor and infrequent spillover attack has been observed in Central America. Choice oviposition, 'multiple generation' (continuation) tests, and the relative performance risk score approach (updated to use Firth's bias reduced logistic regressions) were used to investigate the potential risk posed to S. melongena should L. undecimlineata be released in Vanuatu. The relative risk score approach was inconclusive, indicating a low but not zero risk of S. melongena being a persistent field host for both choice and no-choice tests. In contrast, the multiple generation tests demonstrated that L. undecimlineata cannot persist on S. melongena. Adult feeding was lower and significantly fewer eggs were laid on S. melongena compared to S. torvum in no-choice adult feeding and oviposition tests. The combination of tests used provided an explanation why only minor and infrequent spillover attack on S. melongena has been reported in parts of the native range of L. undecimlineata. We conclude that L. undecimlineata poses a very low risk to S. melongena should it be introduced into Vanuatu. However, the relative performance risk score approach requires further analyses using larger datasets to investigate the potential for threshold scores to be used to reliably predict risk. 

Predicting the field host-range of Leptinotarsa undecimlineata: A candidate biocontrol agent for Solanum torvum in Vanuatu

Malezas acuáticas invasoras en aguas epicontinentales y una propuesta de aprovechamiento de Eichhornia crassipes (jacinto de agua) para la producción de biogás

Biological control of weeds in Vanuatu began in 1935, with the introduction of the tingid Teleonemia scrupulosa to control Lantana camara. To date, nine biological control agents have been intentionally introduced to control eight weed species. Seven of these agents have established on their respective hosts while an eighth, Zygogramma bicolorata, an agent for Parthenium hysterophorus has only recently been released and establishment is unlikely. The fate of a ninth agent, Heteropsylla spinulosa, released for the control of Mimosa diplotricha is unclear. Six other biological control agents, including Epiblema strenuana which was first detected in 2014 on P. hysterophorus on Efate have spread into the country unintentionally. Control of the target weeds range from inadequate to very good. By far the most successful agent has been Calligrapha pantherina which was introduced to control Sida acuta and Sida rhombifolia. The beetle was released on 14 islands and managed to spread to at least another 10 islands where it has effectively controlled both Sida spp. Control of the two water weeds, Eichhornia crassipes by Neochetina bruchi and N. eichhorniae and Pistia stratiotes by Neohydronomus affinis, has also been fairly good in most areas. Two agents, T. scrupulosa and Uroplata girardi, were released on L. camara, and four other agents have been found on the weed, but L. camara is still not under adequate control. The rust Puccinia spegazzinii was first released on Mikania micrantha in 2012 and successfully established. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it is having an impact on M. micrantha, but detailed monitoring is required to determine its overall impact. Future prospects for weed biological control in Vanuatu are positive, with the expected greater spread of recently released agents and the introduction of new agents for P. hysterophorus, L. camara, Dolichandra unguis-cati and Spathodea campanulata.

The status of weed biological control in Vanuatu

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The status of weed biological control in Vanuatu