Japanese knotweed biocontrol
Progress to date
Lindsey Norgrove, Dick Shaw, René Eschen, Ghislaine Cortat, Alex Brook
CBC activity in Europe
Insect BCA history
In Europe for
Insects there
have been more
than 300 releases
of more than 150
predators and
parasitoids with
very little
regulation
Weed BCA history
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 CBC - Long and extensive history
Over 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
Construction & Development
Local authorities
House devaluation
Householders
Railways
Roadsides
Riparian
Research
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
0
Taxon
Pathogens
Orthoptera
Lepidoptera
Hymenoptera
Hemiptera
Coleoptera
Diptera
Number of species
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
UK
Japan
10
Many insects feeding on most parts
Other (5)
186 species of
phytophagous
arthropod
recorded from
Japanese
knotweed in
Japan.
Leaf rollers (7)
Stem borers (12)
Sap suckers (39)
Leaf feeders
(123)
Collaboration
was essential
A process of elimination
literature review
field observations
succeptibility
studies
host range tests
suitable
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
60
50
No. Alive
F. japonica
40
F. bladshuanica
F. dumetorum
F. convolvulus
30
F. esculentum
Plastic plant
20
10
0
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Day
7
8
9 10 11 12
500
450
400
Mean eggs/plant
350
300
250
200
The 78 spp. that did not
receive eggs are
excluded
150
100
50
tac
hu
m
P.
po
ly
s
ul
us
nv
ol
v
F.
co
O.
di
gy
na
ru
m
F.
du
m
eto
ds
hu
an
ica
xa
F.
ba
l
pl
e
M
.co
m
atu
m
R.
pa
lm
ac
ch
ali
ne
ns
is
F.
es
cu
len
tu
m
F.
s
m
pa
cta
F.
co
nn
ol
ian
a
F.
co
m
ica
oh
e
xb
F
F.
ja
po
ni
ca
0
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
Nymph %survival over time
100
Fallopia japonica
90
Rheum Glaskin's
Fallopia dumetorum
Fagopyrum esculentum
Fallopia convolvulus
80
70
60
Oxyria digyna
Polygonum arenastium
Rumex hydrolapatholum
50
40
Reum palmatum
Fallopia baldschuanica
Fagopyrum dibotrys
Persicaria polystachya
30
20
Fallopia conolliana
M. complexa
10
0
3
7
14
28
Rumex hydrolapatholum
12.00
10.00
ad
8.00
5
4
6.00
3
2
4.00
1
2.00
0.00
1
3
5
7
9
11
13
15
17
19
21
23
25
27
29
31
33
35
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
F. dumetorum
Grey bars eggs, black bars nymphs
Comparison with pre-release quarantine
multiple-choice tests
Patterns in oviposition similar
No complete development on any non-target species
Very similar to published studies
Quarantine
1.9%
0.2%
Redrawn from Shaw (2009)
Open field
Caged
1.6%
0.4%
Eggs two (four) weeks after start
0 (2)%
0 (1)%
Host-specificity testing
Quarantine
Caged
No-choice
Open field
Multiple choice
Fundamental host range
Artificial
Realised host range
Natural
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!!
Mass-producing psyllids
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
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 opportunities
Sheppard, Shaw & Sforza - Weed Research 2006
Species
Form
Origin
EU distribution
Genus native?
b
Buddleja davidii
Ph
China
Temperate
No
Fallopia japonica
Ge
Japan
Temperate
Yes
b
Conflict
BC history
O
Yes
No
Yes
O
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
d
Acacia dealbata
Ph
Australia
Mediterranean
No
Azolla filiculoides
Hy
N America
Temp/Med
No
Ailanthus altissima
Ph
China
Temp/Med
No
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
Yes
Carpobrotus edulis
Ch
S Africa
Temp/Med
No
No
No
Heracleum mantegazzianum
He
W Asia
Temperate
Yes
No
Yes
Solanum elaeagnifolium
He
S America
Tem/Med
Yes
No
Yes
Baccharis halimifolia
Ph
N America
Mediterranean
No
No
Yes
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
b
b
b
d
d
d
d
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides
Photo – T. Renals
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?