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Common Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare - Development of Biological Control

A program for the development of biological control for common tansy was launched in 2006 by a joint United States and Canadian consortium. The program includes foreign exploration to identify candidate biological control insects and to study their host-specificity and their impact on the target weed. In addition, efforts continue to assess the current distribution of common tansy and to quantify its economic and ecological impacts in the invaded range.

Status

Cassida stigmatica - adult   Isophrictis striatella - larvae  Host specificity testing cage  Host specificity testing of Cassida stigmatica, a leaf-feeding beetle  

Field surveys in Germany, Russia, and Armenia identified collection sites for potential insect bioagents. These bioagent candidates include the stem and flower-bud mining moth Isophrictis striatella, the stem-mining weevil Microplontus millefolii, rhizome-mining moths in the genus Dichrorampha, the leaf-feeding beetle Cassida stigmatica, the stem, rosette and flower head gall midge Rhopalomyia tanaceticola, the flea beetle Longitarsus noricus, and the stem-mining longhorn beetle Phytoecia nigricornis. Currently, several of these insects are being reared at CABI in Switzerland. All potential biological control agents will be tested extensively to determine efficacy and host specificity.

Project research is conducted by CABI in their Delémont, Switzerland laboratory. The principal investigator for this project is Dr. André Gassmann. He has extensive experience in weed biological control with projects such as leafy spurge and knapweed biocontrol. Some of his current projects include developing biological controls for toadflax, buckthorn, and black swallow-wort.

A test plant list was developed by Alec McClay with input from project participants and submitted in September 2007 to the Canadian Biological Control Review Committee (BCRC) and the USDA Technical Advisory Group for Biological Control Agents of Weeds (TAG). This document proposes the plant species against which prospective biological control agents for common tansy will be tested to ensure their host-specificity. Seeds for many species on the test plant list were acquired in 2007. Please contact Alec McClay or Monika Chandler for a copy of the test plant list.

Future Research

The development of biological control project is expected to extend over 7-10 years depending on results. Future research includes:

  • Continuation of field surveys in Europe and Asia
  • Continuation of host specificity testing
  • Chemical characterization of Tanacetum spp.
  • Bioagent candidate efficacy studies
  • Submit petitions for agent release

Related Projects

There are two research projects in progress that relate to the development of biological control for common tansy.

  • Dr. John Gaskin with the USDA ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory is conducting a molecular systematic study of species related to Tanacetum within the tribe Anthemideae. The focus is on elucidating the genetic relationships of native North American Anthemideae and Eurasian Tanacetum. Understanding the phylogeny of related species will aid host specificity studies.
  • Dr. Alan Smith and Benjamin Clasen with the University of Minnesota are studying genetic diversity within introduced populations of common tansy in North America. The goal is to determine how genetic diversity and plant invasiveness are related and to use this information for developing management strategies.

Acknowledgements

We thank the following organizations for providing project funding:

Canada

  • Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the ACAAF Councils of: Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario
  • Agriculture Development Fund (Saskatchewan)
  • Enbridge Pipelines (Athabasca) Inc.
  • EnCana Corporation
  • Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

United States

  • Minnesota Department of Agriculture
  • South Dakota Weed and Pest Commission
  • UPM Blandin Paper Mill

We also thank the following persons for providing in-kind support such as collection of necessary plant materials:

Eric Coombs, Ron Moehring, Shannon Kulseth, Jerry Marks, Al Knudsen, Jennifer Andreas, Deborah Le Blanc, Doreen Smith, Dr. John Gaskin, Cherry Dodd, Marian Jones, Dr. George Fayvush, Dr. Rob Taner, Dr. Alexander Sennikov, Ruediger Wittenberg, Dr. Stefan Toepfer, Dr. Alecu Diaconu, Dr. Ivo Tosevski, Dr. Rita Dolgovskaya, Dr. Mark Volkovitch, Dr. Sergei Mosyakin, Sandy Cesselli, Susan Turner, Dr. Baldo Villegas, Dr. Mike Pitcairn, Dr. Jim Story, Dr. René Sforza, Dr. Massimo Christofaro

For more information:

United States Contact

Monika Chandler
Monika.Chandler@state.mn.us
651-201-6537
Plant Protection Division

Canada Contact:

Alec McClay, Ph.D.
alec.mcclay@shaw.ca
780-464-4962

Persons in countries other than the US or Canada, please contact either of the above listed project coordinators.