Mike Cripps [email protected]
Cirsium arvense, Lincoln CALIFORNIAN THISTLE (CIRSIUM ARVENSE)
• Native to Eurasia
• Weed in temperate regions of the world
• 1878 first record in New Zealand
• Present on most NZ pastoral farms
CALIFORNIAN THISTLE IMPACT ON A TYPICAL SHEEP FARM
- thistle
+ thistle CALIFORNIAN THISTLE NATIONAL IMPACT
Farm type Loss in farm gross revenue ($ m, 2011-12) Dairy 446 Sheep/beef 233 Deer 6 TOTAL 685 CALIFORNIAN THISTLE LIFE CYCLE
MOWING: POPULATION MODEL RESULTS
Population increase
Population decline MOWING IN THE RAIN http://agpest.co.nz/?pesttypes=californian-thistle
Rain Dry CLASSICAL BIOCONTROL HISTORY
Species Release year(s) Established Altica carduorum 1979; 1990 Hadroplontus litura 1976; 1988 Rhinocyllus conicus 1973; 1977 Urophora cardui 1976, 1995, 1996
(Limited) Lema cyanella 1983; 1990
(Limited) CLASSICAL BIOCONTROL: PRESENT
Species Release year(s) Established Cassida rubiginosa 2007 (Green thistle beetle) Ceratapion onopordi 2009 (Stem weevil) ? GREEN THISTLE BEETLE: LIFE CYCLE Green thistle beetle infestation SUSTAINABLE FARMING FUND PROJECT
1. What can I expect from the beetle?
2. Where can I get it?
WHAT CAN IT DO? NATIVE RANGE
St. Ursanne, Switzerland Control
Biomass Cassida
Days
bugguide.net FEEDING DAMAGE: LINCOLN NZ
Cirsium vulgare WHAT EXPLAINS SPECIALISATION?
Special meal? Thistle buffet? THISTLE BUFFET EXPERIMENT
100
Winged 80 Cali Marsh Scotch 60 Nodding
40 % Survival %
20
0 0 20 Relatedness40 60 80 Phylogenetic distance (my) I have heaps of thistles! Where can I get this beetle? BEETLE RELEASE CAGE
Fraser Laird, Wanganui BEETLES AT FIELD DAYS HABITAT AND OVERWINTERING SURVIVAL: WI PERE FARM TRIAL
Pasture
Pine forest Native bush MASS REARING OF THE GREEN THISTLE BEETLE?
Rearing on artificial diet? ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS