A promising biological control agent for the invasive alien plant, Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae), in South Africa

Paterson, Iain D; Mdodana, Lumka A; Mpekula, Ongezwa; Mabunda, Bheki D; Hill, Martin P

Title: A promising biological control agent for the invasive alien plant, Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae), in South Africa
Creator: Paterson, Iain D
Creator: Mdodana, Lumka A
Creator: Mpekula, Ongezwa
Creator: Mabunda, Bheki D
Creator: Hill, Martin P
Subject: To be catalogued
Date Issued: 2014
Date: 2014
Type: text
Type: article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416806
Identifier: vital:71387
Identifier: xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2014.919439"
Description: Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae) is an invasive alien plant from Central and South America that has become a problematic environmental weed in South Africa. A potential biological control agent, the stem-wilter, Catorhintha schaffneri Brailovsky and Garcia (Coreidae), was collected in southern Brazil and imported into quarantine in South Africa. Field host range data suggested that C. schaffneri has a host range restricted to P. aculeata. No-choice nymph survival tests were then conducted on 27 test plant species in 9 families. Survival to the adult stage was only recorded on P. aculeata and the closely related Pereskia grandifolia Haw. (Cactaceae). Mortality was significantly higher on P. grandifolia with only 3% of the nymphs reaching the adult stage compared with 74% on P. aculeata indicating that P. aculeata is the primary host plant. P. grandifolia is native in South America and is of no agricultural importance in South Africa so any feeding on P. grandifolia in South Africa would have no negative environmental or economic consequences. In other tests, adult survival on P. aculeata [25.8 days (SE ± 3.74)] was significantly longer than on other test plant species [4.3 days (SE ± 0.36)] further confirming the host specificity of the species. Impact studies conducted in quarantine indicated that C. schaffneri is damaging to P. aculeata, significantly reducing the number of leaves and the shoot lengths of plants, even at relatively low insect densities. C. schaffneri is safe for release in South Africa and is likely to be a damaging and effective agent.
Format: computer
Format: online resource
Format: application/pdf
Format: 1 online resource (13 pages)
Format: pdf
Publisher: Sabinet
Language: English
Relation: Biocontrol Science and Technology
Relation: Paterson, I.D., Mdodana, L.A., Mpekula, O., Mabunda, B.D. and Hill, M.P., 2014. A promising biological control agent for the invasive alien plant, Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae), in South Africa. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 24(10), pp.1083-1095
Relation: Biocontrol Science and Technology volume 24 number 10 p. 1083 2014 1360-0478
Rights: Publisher
Rights: Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Sabinet Terms and Conditions Statement (https://www.sabinet.co.za/terms-conditions)
Rights: Closed Access

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Paterson, Iain D (Associate Professor)

Hill, Martin Patrick (Distinguished Professor)

RU Department of Zoology and Entomology

RU DST/NRF SARChI for Insects in Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystems

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