Location: Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit
Project Number: 8010-22000-033-020-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 15, 2020
End Date: Sep 30, 2021
Objective:
To discover and characterize natural enemies of the invasive roseau cane scale (RCS) and determine their natural distribution range in Asia, particularly in S. Korea; and characterize their association with host plant genotype differences that may be related to scale insect colonization success. RCS is native to NE Asia and has become invasive along the US Gulf Coast, causing die-off of roseau cane grass that protects against coastal erosion and silting of navigation channels. ARS and APHIS are coordinating efforts with US and Asian cooperators to find a biological control solution that can help manage the invasive scale.
Approach:
• Work with co-PIs to produce a map of the tentative range of Roseau cane and RCS from museum and archive research.
• Work with US co-PIs to organize and conduct spring collections, assisting during their visit(s) to Korea. Continue to collect at intervals through the season to provide specimens for genetic characterization and comparison of scale and parasitoid populations from native and introduced ranges for identification of a putative source population. Coordinate with US cooperators by supplying host plant samples collected in Asia for phylogenetic comparison with samples collected earlier in the US.
• Rear out any additional parasitoids collected in Asia and send to US collaborators under the lead direction of USDA, APHIS.
