Project Number: 6629-22000-009-67
Project Type: Reimbursable

Start Date: Nov 21, 2008
End Date: Jun 12, 2009

Objective:
To develop effective biological control of Lygodium microphyllum and Paederia foetida in Florida through the release of a complex of biological control agents. The main objective of this task is to evaluate the stem boring moth recently discovered in Hong Kong to determine its suitability as a biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum.

Approach:
Research will be conducted in the Australian Biological Control Laboratory in Brisbane and in the Austral-Southeast Asian Region. The focus will be on Hong Kong lygodium stem borer. Surveys for the borer will be made and larvae in stems will be collected and imported to the Brisbane quarantine. Research will focus on improving laboratory rearing so that a colony can be developed for use in host specificity testing. Test plants will be exposed to the borer to determine whether it can lay eggs, feed and complete its development on them. This research will determine the borer's host range and suitability as a potential biological control agent of Lygodium microphyllum in Florida.