Prospects for Biological Control of Ambrosia Artemisiifolia in Europe: Learning from the Past
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3180.2011.00879.x Prospects for biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Europe: learning from the past EGERBER*,USCHAFFNER*,AGASSMANN*,HLHINZ*,MSEIER & HMU¨ LLER-SCHA¨ RERà *CABI Europe-Switzerland, Dele´mont, Switzerland, CABI Europe-UK, Egham, Surrey, UK, and àDepartment of Biology, Unit of Ecology & Evolution, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland Received 18 November 2010 Revised version accepted 16 June 2011 Subject Editor: Paul Hatcher, Reading, UK management approach. Two fungal pathogens have Summary been reported to adversely impact A. artemisiifolia in the The recent invasion by Ambrosia artemisiifolia (common introduced range, but their biology makes them unsuit- ragweed) has, like no other plant, raised the awareness able for mass production and application as a myco- of invasive plants in Europe. The main concerns herbicide. In the native range of A. artemisiifolia, on the regarding this plant are that it produces a large amount other hand, a number of herbivores and pathogens of highly allergenic pollen that causes high rates of associated with this plant have a very narrow host range sensitisation among humans, but also A. artemisiifolia is and reduce pollen and seed production, the stage most increasingly becoming a major weed in agriculture. sensitive for long-term population management of this Recently, chemical and mechanical control methods winter annual. We discuss and propose a prioritisation have been developed and partially implemented in of these biological control candidates for a classical or Europe, but sustainable control strategies to mitigate inundative biological control approach against its spread into areas not yet invaded and to reduce its A.
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