Location: Invasive Plant Research Laboratory
Project Number: 6032-22000-012-057-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2019
End Date: Aug 30, 2020
Objective:
To develop strategies to integrate biological control with existing management techniques to improve control of Lygodium microphyllum, Old World climbing fern.
1: Evaluate biological control agent establishment on Old World climbing fern regrowth following spraying and cutting.
2: Identify synergistic effects between biological control agents and management to maximize time intervals between herbicide applications.
3: Quantify Neomusotima conspurcatalis dispersal ability in order to develop guidelines for establishment of management-free refuges for biological control agent establishment.
Approach:
Conduct experiments to assess interactions between the biological control agents, herbicides, and mechanical control. This work will specifically address the ability of the Lygodium microphyllum biological control agents Neomusotima conspurcatalis and Floracarus perrepae to colonize and impact Lygodium microphyllum post-treatment regrowth and whether agent damage will enable increasing the time interval between herbicide applications. Additionally, we will evaluate the ability of the moths to disperse to learn how far moths are likely to travel between an untreated refuge and other Lygodium microphyllum patches.
