Biological Control of Brazilian pepper and Chinese tallow

Greg Wheeler 1, W. Overholt 2, F. Mc Kay 3 & J. Ding 4

1 Invasive Plant Research Lab, USDA/ARS, Ft Lauderdale, FL 2 University of Florida, BCRCL, Ft Pierce, FL3 FuEDEI, Buenos Aires, Argentina4 Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, China

Brazilian pepper distribution in the US

Classic tree invader damaging native habitats (Richardson & Rejmanek2011)

• Introduced for horticulture

• Bird dispersed• Invasive North America,

Australia, South Africa• In Greater Everglades

invades more area than Melaleuca, Lygodium,Casuarina combined

Surveys of Brazil up to June 2015

Searches for biological control agents

• > 120 herbivores spp found• Did we find everything?

Species accumulation curve

Aggregation of adult thrips

Thrips damage

Schinus biological controlTwo spp: Thrips & psyllid

Pseudophilothrips ichini Thrips - Petitioned USDA/APHIS/TAG Aug 2014 (in review)

Thripsadult

Pseudophilothrips ichini Thrips life cycle

Life stages (scale 0.5 mm):Adult > 50 dEgg 4-5 dLarvae – 2 stages 6-7 dPupae – 3 stages 2-3 d

Feeding stages larvae & adults only. Stages to test

Impact of 30 days thrips feeding 30% reduction in:• number of leaves • plant height

Impact of thrips feeding

Brazilian pepper biocontrol: Psyllid Calophya latiforceps April 2016 (USDA/APHIS/TAG approved) *

Psyllid damage

Psyllid adults

Psyllid nymph

* Diaz, Manrique & Overholt

Impact of Psyllid feeding

Impact of 90 days psyllid feeding reduction in:• Leaf area 70%• Plant growth 30%

Aggregation of adult thrips

Thripsadult

Psyllid nymph

Psyllid damage

Review: Two agents for Brazilian pepperPseudophilothrips ichini

Calophya latiforceps

Triadica sebifera(Chinese Tallow, Popcorn Tree, Tallowtree, Florida Aspen)

Tallow distribution in China• Distributed in

China south of the Yellow river to Hong Kong

• Cultivated sp. • Possibly 200 spp

of herbivore pests that are potential biological control agents

Tallow’s distribution US• The dominant woody sp

in many forests & wetlands

• Infestations impact endangered Whooping crane and Attwater’sprairie chicken populations

• Expanding range, $200-$400 million to control over next 20 yrs

• biological control is a sustainable, cost-effective alternative

EDDMapS 2012

Tallow biological control agents

Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis

Bikashacollaris

Gadirtha fusca Caloptilia triadicae

Tallow biological control agents

Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis

Bikashacollaris

Gadirtha fusca Caloptilia triadicae

Tallow biological control agents

Heterapoderopsis bicallosicollis Bikasha

collaris Petitioned TAG April 2016

Gadirtha fusca Caloptilia triadicae

Larval FeedingAdult Feeding

Damagedroots

Bikashacollaris

Results (Larvae & Adults)• Larval no-choice testing complete (80 + species e.g. Euphorbia

spp, Poinsettia spp. etc) –– 10 replicates of closest relatives, 5 unrelated spp– Larvae quickly died except on Manchineel & Castorbean

• Larval choice tests completed 10 spp with no damage to non-targets

• Adult no-choice testing complete – nibbling on few spp– Eggs only produced when adults fed tallow –

– no reproduction on other spp• Adult choice tests is completed with no or little damage to

non-targets

Adult testing

Larval testing

Results (Larval emerg. p 1 of 4)Genus species

N Larval emergence (%)

Non-target Tallow

Sapium laurifolium 10 0.0 30.0Sapium laurocerasus 10 0.0 37.1Ditrysinia (=Sebastiania) fruticosa 10 0.0 49.0Gymnanthes lucida 10 0.0 60.0Hippomane mancinella 15 4.0 69.0Sebastiania bilocularis 10 0.0 52.0Stillingia sylvatica 10 0.0 78.0Euphorbia (=Poinsettia) cyathophora 5 0.0 44.0Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) deltoidea 2 0.0 70.0Euphorbia graminea 5 0.0 84.0Euphorbia graminea 'Diamond Frost' 5 0.0 56.0Euphorbia (=Poinsettia) heterophylla 5 0.0 48.0Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) hooveri 5 0.0 60.0Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) hypericifolia 5 0.0 60.0Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) hyssopifolia 4 0.0 65.0Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) maculata 4 0.0 65.0Euphorbia milii 5 0.0 80.0

Results (Larval emerg. p 2 of 4)Genus species N Larval emergence (%)

Non-target Tallow

Euphorbia (=Chamaesyce) pinetorum 2 0.0 60.0Euphorbia (=Poinsettia) pulcherrima 5 0.0 65.0Euphorbia telephioides 5 0.0 40.0Euphorbia tirucalli 5 0.0 45.0Euphorbia (=Pedilanthus) tithymaloides 5 0.0 40.0Hura crepitans 5 0.0 68.0Acalypha arvensis 5 0.0 60.0Acalypha chamaedryfolia 5 0.0 55.0Acalypha gracilens 5 0.0 44.0Acalypha herzogiana 5 0.0 66.7Acalypha ostryifolia 5 0.0 52.0Acalypha wilkesiana 5 0.0 55.0Ricinus communis 10 4.0 54.0Caperonia castaneifolia 5 0.0 76.0Caperonia palustris 5 0.0 64.0Ditaxis argothamnoides 4 0.0 50.0Dalechampia scandens 5 0.0 52.0

Results (Larval emerg. p 3 of 4)Genus species N Larval emergence (%)

Non-target TallowTragia saxicola 5 0.0 56.0Vernicia (=Aleurites) fordii 5 0.0 52.0Codiaeum variegatum ‘Mammy' 5 0.0 68.0Codiaeum variegatum ‘Petra’ 5 0.0 64.0Croton alabamensis 5 0.0 44.0Croton argyranthemus 5 0.0 60.0Croton glandulosus 5 0.0 35.0Croton humilis 5 0.0 64.0Croton linearis 5 0.0 40.0Croton punctatus 6 0.0 60.0Jatropha curcas 5 0.0 60.0Jatropha gossipyfolia 5 0.0 48.0Jatropha integerrima 5 0.0 64.0Jatropha multifida 5 0.0 55.0Jatropha podagrica 5 0.0 56.0Cnidoscolus urens (=stimulosus) 5 0.0 68.0Manihot esculenta 5 0.0 52.0Manihot grahamii 5 0.0 64.0Manihot walkerae 5 0.0 68.0

Results (Larval emerg. p 4 of 4)Genus species N Larval emergence (%)

Non-target TallowBischofia javanica 5 0.0 80.0Heterosavia (=Savia) bahamensis 6 0.0 53.0Breynia disticha 5 0.0 35.0Flueggea virosa 5 0.0 60.0Glochidion puberum 5 0.0 72.0Phyllanthus acidus 5 0.0 48.0Phyllanthus amarus 5 0.0 40.0Phyllanthus pentaphyllus 5 0.0 72.0Phyllanthus tenellus 5 0.0 64.0Phyllanthus urinaria 5 0.0 44.0Phyllanthopsis phyllanthoides 5 0.0 80.0Drypetes diversifolia 5 0.0 36.0Drypetes lateriflora 5 0.0 50.0Prunus caroliniana 5 0.0 44.0Eriobotrya japonica 5 0.0 76.0Citrus x aurantium 5 0.0 64.0Citrus jambhiri 5 0.0 56.0Morella (=Myrica) cerifera 4 0.0 80.0Saccharum officinarum 5 0.0 48.0

Bikasha egg production

Switching experiments:

Tallow - ~100 eggsStarvation – no eggsNon-targets w/o tallow

- no eggs2 & 4 weeks – eggs as starvedAdult Bikasha need a tallow

meal to produce eggs

New Insects on TallowGadirtha fusca larvae•Gadirtha fusca (Nolidae)

•Narrow host range from Chinese field surveys and lab tests

•Quarantine testing now (May 2016)

•Larvae are safe (55 spp tested)•Very damaging

Leaves fed to one late instar larva

Leaf damage of one larva after 2 days (135 cm2)

New Insects on Tallow -insects being developed

•Unidentified stem galling midges (3 spp?)

•Abundant in many areas of China

•Work continues in China and quarantine

Midge stem gall

Schizomyia n. sp.

Adventive Biological Control

• Discovered nr Tampa & Gainesville in 2008

• From China (Caloptilia triadicae)

• Heavy damage to Tallow plants but not enough

• More agents needed

Gadirtha fusca larvae

Bikashacollaris

Petitioned TAG April 2016

Two agents for Chinese tallow

AcknowledgementsFunding:Florida Fish Wildlife CommissionSFWMD USDA/ARS

Work:Kirsten Dyer, USDA/ARS/IPRLChawner, Rendon, Hernandez, Silverson, Fung, Jones, SCA/AmeriCorpsD. Williams, TCUD. Davis, SmithsonianJ Brown, M. Pogue, M. Gates, R. Kula, et al. USDA/ARS/SELC. O’Brien, Green Valley, AZL. Mound, CSIRO Canberra AustraliaJ.F. Landry, Ag Canada, Ottawa, CanadaM. Vitorino, Univ Blumenau, BrazilR. Barreto, Univ Fed Vicosa, Brazil

Southwest FloridaWater Management District

greg.wheeler@ars.usda.gov

Questions?