Pacific Southwest

Title: Biological Control of Introduced Weeds of Native Hawaiian Forests

Author: Markin, George P.; Nagata, Roddy F.; Gardner, Donald E.

Date: 1992

Source: In: Conrad, Eugene C.; Newell, Leonard A. 1992. Proceedings of the session on tropical forestry for people of the Pacific, XVII Pacific Science Congress; May 27-28, 1991 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-129. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station; p. 84-88

Station ID: GTR-PSW-129

Description: Among the many threats to the continued existence of the remaining native forests and other native ecosystems of the Hawaiian Islands, the most severe and the most difficult to control are the invasion and replacement by induced species of plants. Because conventional methods of plant management have faild to control this invasion, a multiagency, state and federal program was initiated in 1980 to attempt control through the use of classical biological control: the inutroductian, release, and establishment of the natural enemies of the weeds, including both insects and pathogens. Currently. active programs are under way against six different introduced weeds: banana paka (Passiflora mollissima, firetree (Myrica faya), gorse (Ulex europaeus), introduced blackberry (Rubus argutus, Kostcr's curse (Clidemia hirta), and strawberry guava (Psidium cattleianum). Under the present program, five insects and one pathogen have been tested and released in Hawaii. Three more insects are waiting find approval, and one pathogen has been approved but not released. Ten other insects and pathogens are being tested in Hawaii, and we are supporting scientists in five foreign countries who are studying the plants in their native ecosystems to identify further agents for us. On the basis of the high rate of success of previous programs for biological control of agricultural weeds in Hawaii, we hope that this program will he a successful tool for managing forest weeds. It will also offer a relatively cheap, safe, but effective method of vegetative management in forest ecosystems on other Pacific Islands.

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Citation

Markin, George P.; Nagata, Roddy F.; Gardner, Donald E.   1992.  Biological Control of Introduced Weeds of Native Hawaiian Forests .   In: Conrad, Eugene C.; Newell, Leonard A. 1992. Proceedings of the session on tropical forestry for people of the Pacific, XVII Pacific Science Congress; May 27-28, 1991 Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-129. Berkeley, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station; p. 84-88.