A Catalogue of the Insects, Mites and Pathogens that have been used or Rejected, or are Under Consideration, for the Biological Control of Invasive Alien Plants in South Africa

By H. Klein. 2011

108 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This catalogue provides a comprehensive record of the 284 entities of organisms (insect, mite and pathogen species, or biotypes thereof) that have featured in biological control of invasive alien plants (weeds) in South Africa, since 1913. Fourteen of these entities are native species, or foreign species that have, by some unknown means, entered the country, while the remainder were intentionally imported specifically for biological control. The majority (237 of 284, i.e. 83 %) are phytophagous insects, the balance being made up of five species of mites (Acari) and 42 entities of plant-pathogens. The catalogue comprises the names of each of the target weeds, their origin, and an assessment of the degree of control that has been achieved with biological control, together with names and details (feeding guild, date released where applicable, current status and extent of damage inflicted) for each of the agents. Key references are provided. Of the 270 entities that were introduced into quarantine and tested for host specificity: 106 (39 %) were eventually released as biological control agents; 16 % are still under investigation; approximately 24 % were rejected by researchers because of doubts about their safety or efficacy; and 21 % have been shelved pending possible further study. Two of the pathogen species were developed as mycoherbicides. Seventy-five (71 %) of the 106 agents that were released in South Africa have become established on 48 invasive alien plant species, in 14 plant families. According to a rating system that has been widely adopted since 1999, and slightly amended in this account, approximately 21 % of the weed species on which biological control agents are established have been completely controlled, and another 38 % are under a substantial degree of control.

Subfields: Insect Science, Plant Science

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Citations in the corpus

The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa (2018, background): “No reported non-target effects (Klein et al. 2011) and thus the control measures appear to be working well (Klein 2011).”
Biological Control of Cactaceae in South Africa (2011, background): “Opuntia stricta is currently considered under substantial control (Klein 2011).”
The effectiveness of classical biological control of invasive plants (2012, background): “As such, sources that provide information on both successful and unsuccessful control efforts will continue to be particularly useful (Klein 2011).”
Biological control of forest plantation pests in an interconnected world requires greater international focus (2012, background): “According to Klein (2011), of the 270 non-native weed biocontrol agents (84% phytophagous insects) considered in South Africa since 1913, 75 were established (of the 106 released) while 102 were rejected or shelved and 43 are still under active consideration.”
The biological control of aquatic weeds in South Africa: Current status and future challenges (2017, background): “Although not considered to be under complete biological control (Klein 2011), the ecological and socioeconomic impact of the weed has been significantly reduced through the introduction of eight biological control agents (Coetzee et al. 2011a; Paterson et al. 2016).”
An assessment of the effectiveness of a large, national-scale invasive alien plant control strategy in South Africa (2012, unknown): “Biological control of Opuntia ficus-indica, which is assessed as ‘substantial’ in South Africa (Klein, 2011), is ‘relatively ineffective’ in areas of higher rainfall, including the thicket biome (Zimmermann and Moran, 1991).”
Biological control of weeds: an analysis of introductions, rates of establishment and estimates of success, worldwide (2018, background): “The majority of studies assessing the outcomes of CBC of weeds use a terminology that differentiates between ‘negligible’, ‘substantial’ and ‘complete’ control of the target host (Hoffmann 1995; McFadyen 1998; Klein 2011).”
Changes in the composition and distribution of alien plants in South Africa: An update from the Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas (2017, methodology): “1 Not listed Mexico, C America 127 Tradescantia pallida Commelinaceae Purple heart Succulentherb Orn 1 Not listed Mexico 128 Trichocereus pachanoi (= Echinopsis pachanoi) Cactaceae San Pedro cactus Tree Orn, med 1 Not listed S America 129 Turnera ulmifolia Passifloraceae Yellow-alder Shrub Orn 1 Not”