Technical Highlights
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Employment, Development Economic Innovation and Technical highlights Department of Invasive plant and animal research 2008–09 Technical highlights Invasive plant and animal research 2008–09 PR09–4612 On 26 March 2009, the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries was amalgamated with other government departments to form the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. © The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation, 2009. Except as permitted by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of the work may in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or any other means be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be broadcast or transmitted without the prior written permission of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The copyright owner shall not be liable for technical or other errors or omissions contained herein. The reader/user accepts all risks and responsibility for losses, damages, costs and other consequences resulting directly or indirectly from using this information. Enquiries about reproduction, including downloading or printing the web version, should be directed to [email protected] or telephone +61 7 3225 1398. Cover photos (left to right): Researchers Alvaro Alves (left) and Acacio Guterres (right) investigating dieback of Chromolaena odorata in East Timor as a result of biological control. The bird-dispersed invasive vine Passiflora suberosa. Wild dog (Canis lupus familiaris) with satellite collar. Contents Executive summary iii Part 1 Integrated weed management 1 1. Understanding grader grass ecology for improved management 1 2. Integrated management of bellyache bush in northern Queensland 4 3. Bellyache bush national management manual 6 4. Ecology and management of Captain Cook tree in northern Queensland 7 5. Seed dynamics 12 6. Florestina herbicide trial 13 7. Evaluating the effectiveness of the EZ-Ject herbicide lance 16 8. Biological control of bellyache bush 17 9. Biological control of parthenium 20 10. Biological control of prickly acacia 23 11. Biological control of weedy sporobolus grasses 25 12. Biological control of mother-of-millions 26 Part 2 Landscape protection and restoration 28 1. Biological control of cat’s claw creeper 28 2. Biological control of Madeira vine 32 3. Biological control of lantana 34 4. Biological control of mikania vine in Papua New Guinea and Fiji 36 5. Biological control of chromolaena in Papua New Guinea 38 6. Biological control of two weeds in East Timor 40 7. Weed eradication feasibility and program evaluation 42 8. Ecology of Wet Tropics weeds 45 9. Ecology and control of Siam weed in the dry tropics 47 10. Class 1 weed control packages 48 11. Mimosa research 50 12. Understanding resource use efficiency and physiology of invasive woody vines of riparian zones in south-east Queensland for improved management 51 13. Building population viability analysis models to gain a better understanding of control of invasive alien species: the case of Lantana camara 54 14. Ecology of bird-dispersed weeds 57 15. Water weed management and control 59 Contents i Part 3 Pest animal management 61 1. Best practice baiting: dispersal and seasonal movement of wild dogs 61 2. Development of a cyanide bait for monitoring feral pigs and foxes 63 3. Assessing the role of harvesting in feral pig management 65 4. Feral pig impacts on freshwater ecosystems 67 5. Evaluating monitoring techniques for feral cats and foxes in south-east Queensland 68 6. Adaptive management of rabbits 69 7. Mapping distribution and density of rabbits in Australia 72 8. Resistance to rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus in Australian rabbits 73 9. Effective and safe rodent management 75 10. Controlling feral goat populations through commercial harvesting 76 11. Modelling options for management of feral camels in central Australia 78 12. Testing feral deer control in the Wet Tropics: enabling a response to future complaints and increasing impacts 81 Part 4 Research services 82 1. Pest management chemistry 82 2. Chemical registration: providing tools for invasive pest control 83 Appendixes 84 1. Abbreviations 84 2. Herbicide and pesticide products 85 3. Staff listings 86 4. Publications 89 5. Presentations 91 6. List of species 95 ii Technical highlights: Invasive plant and animal research 2008–09 Executive summary Achievements Landscape protection and restoration In the past year, our team of scientists has continued to Three major environmental weeds of Queensland continue make significant progress in delivering innovative, quality to be targeted by our biocontrol program. Over 500 000 research for improved management of Queensland’s weeds tingid bugs and a total of 50 000 leaf-tying moths have now and pest animals. Key achievements from our four research been released against cat’s claw creeper at 72 sites across programs are outlined below. Queensland and northern New South Wales. We have also imported a new potential biocontrol agent for host- specificity testing. Host-specificity testing of a leaf beetle Integrated weed management targeting Madeira vine is nearing completion and testing of New and improved management practices for the control of a new pathogen against lantana is underway in the United priority weeds continue to be developed and communicated Kingdom (UK). to stakeholders. A key achievement this year has been the Research in support of Queensland’s weed eradication compilation of a management manual for bellyache bush. programs has been a major focus of activity. An important The manual incorporates key findings from many years of new project developing effective control options and research into the ecology and control of this invasive weed. collecting basic ecological data that can inform eradication Numerous case studies are also included to share the programs has commenced. Badhara bush, Mexican experiences of land managers who have been controlling feather grass, water mimosa and Mexican bean tree were bellyache bush at various scales. The manual will be ready prioritised for the first year of research. For Siam weed, for distribution early in 2010. we are investigating the suitability of low volume, high We have established a comprehensive seed longevity trial concentration herbicide application though a ‘gas gun’ at the Tropical Weeds Research Centre (TWRC) to quantify carried on a backpack. This technology could provide a how long soil seed banks of several priority weeds persist in safe, efficient option to control Siam weed in rugged terrain. the absence of further seed input. Seeds of prickly acacia, We have also developed a model that predicts the duration mesquite, lantana, calotrope, parthenium, leucaena, yellow and cost of eradication programs. This should prove useful oleander, chinee apple and neem tree have been buried at when determining whether to attempt eradication and several depths within two soil types and with two types of during reviews of eradication programs. above-ground cover. Results will inform land managers on Our research into the characteristics of underground tuber the required duration of control programs based on the time banks in cat’s claw creeper infestations has revealed that taken to exhaust soil seed reserves. tubers were abundant in terms of density, yet small in Development of effective herbicide recommendations size and with few connections between them. This work for problematic weeds has continued. Most recently, suggests that new recruitment of cat’s claw creeper is researchers have been able to identify foliar herbicide primarily from seeds, not from vegetative propagation as options for the herbaceous annual weed, florestina, that previously thought. Future biological control efforts need not only provide high initial mortality but also residual to focus on introducing seed- and pod-feeding insects to control of seedling regrowth for several months. reduce seed output. Our biocontrol program has continued to focus on the identification of new biological control agents for prickly Pest animal management acacia and bellyache bush. While possibilities for bellyache Tracking the movements of wild dogs in southern bush appear limited, we have identified several potential Queensland has shown dogs to be capable of agents for prickly acacia during initial surveys in India. extraordinarily long-distance dispersal (> 500 km in one These include two rust fungi and insects associated with month), and across hostile terrain including recently baited stem galls, shoot-tip damage, defoliation and leaf-webbing. areas. Radio telemetry has also provided an interpretation Surveys will continue over the coming year, and the most of reported seasonal changes in dog activity. Dog activity promising agents will be subjected to more detailed is high during the autumn mating season when males in monitoring and host testing. particular are spending a lot of time on roads. Following whelping and while rearing pups during winter and spring, Contents iii roads are rarely used by dogs and the activity index can Within this new structure, Invasive Plant and Animal falsely indicate the population has declined. These results Science remains part of Biosecurity Queensland. have some important implications for management. As in previous years, our research program for 2008–09 We are currently assessing the effectiveness of commercial was endorsed by the Research Review Committee—a harvesting of feral goats