Japanese knotweed biocontrolProgress to date

Lindsey Norgrove, Dick Shaw, René Eschen, Ghislaine Cortat, Alex Brook

CBC activity in Europe

Country Recipient Source

Austria 0 48

Finland 0 5

France 0 111

Germany 0 46

Greece 0 29

Italy 0 71

Portugal 0 18

Spain 0 9

Sweden 0 3

UK 1 41

Total 1 381

Weed BCA history

In Europe for Insects there have been more than 300 releases of more than 150 predators and parasitoids with very little regulation

Insect BCA history

Weed CBC - Long and extensive historyOver the past 100 years, more than 400

different biocontrol agents have been used against around 150 target plants,

totalling over 1,300 introductions around the globe.

Cost of Japanese knotweed to GB

92% of the £166 million annual costs are experienced by the construction and development industry.

A consortium of Sponsors came together in 2003 to sponsor the

programme

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Nu

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f sp

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tera

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eopt

era

Hem

ipte

ra

Hym

enop

tera

Lepi

dopt

era

Ort

hopt

era

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hoge

nsTaxon

UK

Japan

Leaf feeders (123)

Sap suckers (39)

Stem borers (12)

Leaf rollers (7)

Other (5) 186 species of phytophagous arthropod recorded from Japanese knotweed in Japan.

Many insects feeding on most parts

Collaboration was essential

literature review

field observations

succeptibilitystudies

host range tests

suitable

A process of elimination

Aphalara itadori

Test Plant List

• 90 species and varieties

• representatives from 19 families.

• 37 plants natives including all native Polygonaceae

• 23 species introduced to the UK,

• 3 species native to Europe,

• 13 ornamental

• 10 economically important UK species

No means of agreeing the test plant list in advance!

Aphalara adult survival

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Day

No

. Aliv

e

F. japonica

F. bladshuanica

F. dumetorum

F. convolvulus

F. esculentum

Plastic plant

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Mea

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gs/p

lant

Bar chart showing mean egg count on those plants that did receive eggs in multiple

choice oviposition tests. (+/- 1SE). Development only successful to the left of red line

The 78 spp. that did not receive eggs are excluded

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3 7 14 28

Fallopia japonica

Rheum Glaskin's

Fallopia dumetorum

Fagopyrum esculentum

Fallopia convolvulus

Oxyria digyna

Polygonum arenastium

Rumex hydrolapatholum

Reum palmatum

Fallopia baldschuanica

Fagopyrum dibotrys

Persicaria polystachya

Fallopia conolliana

M. complexa

Nymph %survival over time

Fallopia japonica

0.001.002.003.004.005.006.007.008.009.00

10.00

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

days

Adult

N5

N4

N3

N2

N1

Fallopia dumetorum

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

days

Rumex hydrolapatholum

0.00

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1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35

ad

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1

R2= 0.9328 Dev Rate per day = 0.01921+0.002162 Temp

DD 462.5 from egg to adult

Licensing: The two processes (England)

•Licence to release into the wild under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981•Licence to free it from a Plant Health Quarantine license as “an organism likely to be injurious to plants in the UK” - EU Standing Committee on Plant Health were kept informed

See also: Hunt et al (2010) An international comparison of invertebrate biological control agent regulation: what can Europe learn? REBECA.

Pest Risk Analysis W&C Act application for release

Based on Eppo template Brand new version for Wales & England

Internal Govt iterative review Internal Govt iterative review

ACRE Committee review

External Peer review External Peer review

Public consultation (3 months) Public consultation (3 months)

Chief Scientist advice Chief Scientist advice

Ministerial decision for Sec. of State Ministerial decision for Sec. of State

Release from PH quarantine licence W&C license to release

2o & 3o and community level effects?

Choice tests with commercially available generalists showed no feeding preference

Native coccinellids fed exclusively on psyllids fared worse than when fed on aphids

Caged no-choice & Choice experiment

•Oviposition and development of A. itadori and non-target impact on F. dumetorum

Caged no-choice experiment

Many eggs, some nymphs, limited development

Grey bars eggs, black bars nymphs

F. dumetorum

Comparison with pre-release quarantine multiple-choice testsPatterns in oviposition similar

No complete development on any non-target species

Very similar to published studies

1.9% 0.2% 1.6% 0.4% 0 (2)% 0 (1)%

Quarantine Caged Open field

Redrawn from Shaw (2009)Eggs two (four) weeks after start

Host-specificity testing

Artificial Natural

Realised host rangeFundamental host range

Caged Open field

No-choice Multiple choice

Quarantine

Host-range tests reliably predict non-target attack (Pemberton 2000; Fowler et al. 2000; Barton 2004; Briese 2005)

Non-target attack either “predicted” or ephemeral

Summary● Caged and open-field studies confirm the

host-specificity of Aphalara itadori

● No impact of the psyllid on non-target plant species

● No impact of A. itadori on native vegetation or invertebrate community

● Risk of non-target impact on native vegetation and invertebrates very low

No A. itadori found in winter sampling

Typical sample from evergreens contained 100s native psyllids, but no A. itadori

Species sampled included: yew, Pinus spp., Leyland cypress, etc.

Low abundance of A. itadori at release sites larger releases required for establishment

Successful overwintering!!

Two production cycles:

First in cages inside Controlled environment

Mass-producing psyllids

Data loggers allow checks on development

Insects to be ready for releases in last two weeks in May

Mass-producing psyllids

What can we expect?

If successful:• Establishment of the agent• Spread to JK• Reduced plant vigour• Reduced control costs• Recovery of native species

• Control not eradication!

EU opportunitiesSheppard, Shaw & Sforza - Weed Research 2006

Species Form Origin EU distribution Genus native? Conflict BC history

Buddleja davidii Ph China Temperate Nob O Yes

Fallopia japonica Ge Japan Temperate Yes No Yes

Acacia dealbata Ph Australia Mediterranean Nob O Yesd

Azolla filiculoides Hy N America Temp/Med Nob No Yesd

Ailanthus altissima Ph China Temp/Med Nob No Yes

Impatiens glandulifera He India Temperate Yes O No

Rhododendron ponticum Ph S Europe Temp/Med Yes O Yes

Robinia pseudoacacia Ph N America Temperate No F No

Senecio inaequidens He S Africa Temp/Med Yes No Yes

Ambrosia artemisiifolia Th C America Temp/Med Yes No Yesd

Carpobrotus edulis Ch S Africa Temp/Med Nob No No

Heracleum mantegazzianum He W Asia Temperate Yes No Yes

Solanum elaeagnifolium He S America Tem/Med Yes No Yesd

Baccharis halimifolia Ph N America Mediterranean No No Yesd

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides Hy N America Temp/Med Yes No Yes

Ludwigia peploides He S America Temp/Med Yes No Yes

Crassula helmsii Hy Australasia Temperate Yes No No

Elodea canadensis Hy N America Temperate No No No

Myriophyllum aquaticum Hy S America Temp/Med Yes No Yes

Solidago canadensis Ge N America Temperate Yes No No

Photo – T. Renals

Hydrocotyle ranunculoides

Impatiens glandulifera

Puccinia rust

Thank you to all involved•Dr Harry Evans (CABI),• Dr Marion Seier & Dr Rob Reeder•Rob Tanner (CABI)•Djamila Djeddour (CABI)•Dr Carol Ellison•Drs Murphy, Cock and Holderness (CABI)•Ghislaine Cortat (CABI)•Dr Rene Eschen•Anna Harris•Sonal Varia•Corin Pratt•Alex Brook•Dr Esther Gerber•Valérie Coudrain & Sarah Bryner (CABI tudents)•Sasha White•Dr Paul Cannon and Dr Alan Buddie (CABI)

•Linda Birken (Imperial College student)•Gareth Martin (Imperial College student)•James Broom (Imperial College student)

•Dr John Bailey and Kat Pashley (Leicester University)•Dr Lois Child (Loughborough University)•Dr Andy Polaszek & others (NHM)•Professor Masami Takagi (Kyushu University)•Dr Daisuke Kurose (Kyushu University)•Dr Narutu Furuya (Kyushu University)•Dr Naoki Takahashi (Kyushu University)•Yuko Inoue (Kyushu University)

•Dr Fritzi Grevstad (University of Washington)•Dr Bernd Blossey (Cornell University)•Dr Rob Bouchier (AAFC Canada)•Dr Brian Van Hezelwink (AAFC Canada)•Victoria Nuzzo (Independent Consultant)•Mic Julien (CSIRO)•Dr Andy Sheppard (CSIRO)•Dr Simon Fowler (Landcare Research NZ)•Drs Ted Centre & Gary Buckingham (Florida Uni)•Profs Mick Crawley &Tim Coulson (Imperial College)•Dr Willie Cabrera Walsh (SABCL)•Dr Jonathan Newman (CEH)•Dr Usha Dev (NBPGR)•Dr Ravi Kheterpal (NBPGR)•Dr Robin Adair (DPI Queensland)•Drs John Ireson & Richard Holloway (Utas)•Lindsay Smith (Landcare Research)

•ACRE•FERA – many especially Dr Claire Sansford•Pesticide Safety Directorate•The Non Native Species Secretariat

The Project Board and sponsors for funding and guidance

Thank You

Any Questions?