Weed biocontrol: what’s in the pipeline

for western Canada

Hariet L. Hinz, CABI Switzerland
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52
Early 2016 April 2017 August 2017
(Georgen et al. 2016)
27
81

9
2 33
10 10
47

4 4

279
31 Dec 2018

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 Staff CABI Switzerland 2020
• 30 permanent staff and about same number of students
• 15 interns (“summer students”)
• Several graduate students (MSc and PhD)
• 12 Master of Advanced Studies students in ICM
• 20+ different nationalities
Center for Agriculture and Bioscience
International

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 Programmes at CABI in Switzerland

• Arthropod Biological Control

• Weed Biological Control Invasive
Species
• Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology
• Ecosystem Management

Development
• Crop Health Team
Communication
• Plantwise & Extension

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CABI Switzerland - Biological Weed Control

• 60 years experience in classical weed biocontrol

• Agents successfully implemented for control of leafy
spurge, toadflax, knapweeds, purple loosestrife and others
were researched and developed at CABI Switzerland
• In 2020: 15 projects for North America and one project for
New Zealand
• Mostly insects and mites; fungal pathogens via our UK
Centre
• Most projects financed by a consortium approach

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CABI Switzerland - Biological Weed Control
2019: ten weed projects co-funded by Canada (BC, AB, SK,
ON and AAFC):
• Alliaria petiolata, garlic mustard Plus two projects at
• Butomus umbellatus, flowering rush CABI UK:
• Elaeagnus angustifolia, Russian Olive • Japanese knotweed
• Leucanthemum vulgare, oxeye daisy • Himalayan Balsam
• Lepidium draba, hoary cress
• Linaria spp., toadflaxes
• Phragmites australis, common reed
• Pilosella spp., hawkweeds
• Tanacetum vulgare, common tansy
• Vincetoxicum spp., swallow-worts

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Our network of collaborators

Plus:
Collaboration with BBCA, Italy and
USDA-ARS lab in France

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 Recent approvals and releases - 1
Cheilosia urbana (root-feeding hoverfly) on hawkweeds
• One generation per year; attacks several Pilosella species
• CABI regularly ships gravid females or eggs to AAFC, Lethbridge
• First releases in Canada in 2017 by Rose De Clerck-Floate
(AAFC) at Revelstoke, BC
- 2017: brought out lab infested potted plants
- 2018: direct egg transfer onto plants in field
- 2019: infested potted plants; wait for adult emergence in 2020
and ship to BC for field release

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 Recent approvals and releases - 1
Cheilosia urbana (root-feeding hoverfly) on hawkweeds
• Joint petition submitted by Rose De Clerck-Floate (AAFC)
and Jeff Littlefield (MSU) in 2015
• TAG recommended release in 2016
• First releases in Canada in 2017
• Approved for release in U.S. in July 2019
• Releases foreseen for 2020 in U.S.

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 Recent approvals and releases - 2
Archanara spp. (shoot-mining noctuid moths) on
common reed
• One generation per year
• Can develop on native reed but females prefer invasive reed
for egg laying and eggs survive less well on native reed
• First releases in field cages in Ontario in summer 2019
• CABI will ship more eggs next month
• Trials with artificial diet to rationalize rearing

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 Recent approvals and releases - 3
Ceutorhynchus scrobicollis (root-mining weevil) on
garlic mustard
• Larval mining destroys main shoot and can kill rosettes
• First petitioned in 2008; after several resubmissions, TAG
finally recommended release in February 2017
• First release in Ontario in 2018 by Rob Bourchier (AAFC)
• Destructive sampling planned this spring
• No approval for US yet

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 Planned release of new population
Aphalara itadori (sap sucking psyllid) on knotweed
• First releases in 2015
• Mass rearing and releases +150,000 adults in cages and
open field in Ontario, Alberta and BC
• Successful overwintering and multiple generations in
summer, but no mass outbreaks yet
• CABI UK collected new population from Japan in 2019 for
release in 2020

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 Field Releases: Knotweed Psyllid

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Pictures from Rob Bourchier (AAFC)
 Recent submission of petitions
Aceria angustifoliae (eriophyid mite) on Russian olive
• Work conducted at CABI Switzerland in collaboration with
Iranian, Italian (BBCA), Turkish and Serbian scientists
• Joint petition submitted in Nov. 2019 by Tim Collier (Univ. of
Wyoming) and Rosemarie De Clerck-Floate (AAFC)
• Since this mite is extremely specific and reduces seed
output without damaging established trees we expect TAG
recommendation in 2020

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 Petitions in preparation - 1
Rhinusa rara (gall-forming weevil) on Dalmatian toadflax
• Galls lower part of shoots; univoltine
• Overwinters as adult and therefore expected to be more
successful in colder climates and more disturbed sites
• Host range studies completed; highly specific
• Joint petition prepared by Sharlene Sing (US Forest Service)
and Rosemarie DeClerck Floate (AAFC)
• Likely submission in 2020

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 More agents in the pipeline for yellow and
Dalmatian toadflax

Mecinus heydenii
Target: YT and hybrid!
Mecinus laeviceps
Target: DT

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Mecinus peterharrisi
Target: DT
 Petitions in preparation - 2
Dichrorampha aeratana (root mining moth) on
oxeye daisy
• Significantly reduces below-ground biomass and
number of flower heads of oxeye daisy
• Some attack on the ornamental Shasta daisy in open-
field tests, but no significant impact
• Petition started by CABI in collaboration with Jeff
Littlefield (MSU) and Alec McClay for submission in
2020

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 Petitions in preparation - 3
Bagous nodulosus (leaf and rhizome feeding
weevil) on flowering rush
• Highly specific
• Adults mainly live underwater; larvae commonly swim
• Adult feeding reduces above- and below ground biomass
by c. 30%

 Petition likely to be submitted in winter 2020/21

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 Petitons further along the line
• Rust on Himalayan Balsam (CABI UK)
• White smut on flowering rush (CABI UK)

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 ‫ﺷﻛرا ﺟزﯾﻼ‬merci श�ु क्रया zikomo
xie-xie obrigado
efharistó
ありがとう
thank
kiitos
urakoze
you
ke itumetse tak
gracias zikomo

dhanyawaad
asante
danke terima kasih

CABI is an international intergovernmental organisation, and we gratefully acknowledge

the core financial support from our member countries (and lead agencies) including:

Ministry of Agriculture and

Rural Affairs,
People’s Republic of China

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