Biological Control of Cactaceae in South Africa

By I. Paterson, J. Hoffmann, H. Klein, C. W. Mathenge, S. Neser, H. Zimmermann. 2011

113 citations recorded by the source corpus.

This review is a summary of developments that have contributed to the success of several biological control programmes against invasive cactus species (Cactaceae) that have been worked on in South Africa over the last 12 years. Six potential biological control agents have been identified for the control of Pereskia aculeata Mil. and molecular studies have identified the origin of the South African P. aculeata population. Host-specificity testing is now required for the three most promising of these agents. The successful biological control programme against Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw. has resulted in a change in management strategies against this weed in the Kruger National Park and the control of O. stricta is now almost entirely reliant on biological control. Taxonomic problems associated with the identification of Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida (Engelm.) F.M.Knuth var. fulgida have been resolved and an appropriate cochineal insect (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) biotype has been released, resulting in substantial declines in Cyl. fulgida var. fulgida populations. A long-term monitoring programme has been initiated to evaluate the progress of this new cochineal insect biotype. The Harrisia mealybug, Hypogeococcus pungens Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), which was originally released on Harrisia martinii (Labour.) Britton & Rose has been collected and redistributed onto Cereus jamacaru DC., where it reduces fruit production and leads to the death of both seedlings and large plants. Resolving taxonomic problems to ensure the correct identification of plant species and the most appropriate biological control biotypes have been key issues that have led to the successful control of several cactaceous weed species in South Africa.

Subfields: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Food Science, Insect Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/50f6e631e049d0644565a156efdc34b4ac82a1a1

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. Petr Pyšek
2. D. Richardson
3. Jonathan M. Jeschke
4. P. Hulme
5. M. Vilà
6. Daniel Simberloff
7. V. Jarošı́k
8. A. Ricciardi

In Food Science

1. D. Aldridge
2. Daniel Simberloff

In Insect Science

1. Petr Pyšek
2. D. Richardson
3. V. Jarošı́k
4. John R. U. Wilson
5. P. Hulme
6. M. Vilà
7. Jonathan M. Jeschke
8. Andrew M. Liebhold

Citations in the corpus

• An assessment of the effectiveness of a large, national-scale invasive alien plant control strategy in South Africa (2012, unknown): “Cereus jamacaru Stem sucker and stem borer Complete Mechanical clearing has continued despite the availability of highly effective biological control (Table 3) Paterson et al. (2011)”
• Four priority areas to advance invasion science in the face of rapid environmental change (2020, background): “After taxonomic problems were resolved and the appropriate insect was released, the population of the non-native cactus declined (Paterson et al. 2011).”
• Hitting the right target: taxonomic challenges for, and of, plant invasions (2013, background): “…the wrong species of herbivorous cochineal insect was collected; after the taxonomic problems associated with the identification of Cylindropuntia fulgida var. fulgida were resolved and the appropriate insect was released, the population of the invasive plant declined (Paterson et al. 2011).”