Biological Control of Leafy Spurge: Utilization and Implementation

Abstract

Leafy spurge is an exotic, noxious, perennial weed which is widely established in the north central United States and is an especially serious problem in the northern Great Plains. In 1997, the Agricultural Research Service and Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, US Department of Agriculture, initiated a major Integrated Pest Management (IPM) research and demonstration project, The Ecological Area-wide Management (TEAM) Leafy Spurge (TLS), to develop and demonstrate ecologically based IPM strategies that can produce effective, affordable leafy spurge control. A key component of the TLS project was expanding the use of biological control agents. To assess the level of insect utilization and implementation and the level of current and perceived future control of leafy spurge as a result of biological control agents, a mail survey of 468 individuals that obtained biological control agents (insects) at TLS-sponsored events and of all the county weed boards in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming was conducted. Forty-six percent of the landowner/land managers and 70% of the county weed boards responded to the questionnaire. Respondents reported basic information about the number and characteristics of release sites, and characteristics of the leafy spurge stands, as well as the level of control to date and perceived level of eventual control.

A framework for sustainable invasive species management: Environmental, social, and economic objectives

“…The potential negative effects were recognized relatively early (Hanson andRudd 1933, cited in Bangsund et al (1999)), and by 1962 a monograph detailing its ecology and life history in North America was published (Selleck et al, 1962). Integrated pest management approaches have been used successfully for its control in the U.S., and today the plant is substantially reduced throughout much of the northern plains states (Larson and Grace, 2004;Lym, 2005;Butler et al, 2006;Hodur et al, 2006).…”

Potential Management Alternatives for Invaded Rangelands in the Northern Great Plains

“…35 Biological control of leafy spurge with insects has been suggested to be the most cost-effective and likely best long-term control method. 36 However, leafy spurge has been shown to be a nutritious forage species, 37 and grazing with goats and sheep can provide an economic return while controlling its spread. 38 It should be pointed out that although biological control techniques have created a decline in the overall population of leafy spurge in the Northern Great Plains, 20,39 the resulting plant community without leafy spurge remains dominated by exotic plant species and is low in native plant diversity.…”

A Physiological Basis for Controlling Leafy Spurge on Nebraska Rangeland

“…1 Current management strategies include herbicides as part of an integrated pest management program. 5 However, few studies have used the physiological status of leafy spurge as an indicator to properly time herbicide applications.…”