European ash trees resist devastating insect pest
Ash trees may be more prepared to face invasive threats than previously realised. The European ash (Fraxinus excelsior) is a common site in towns, forests and parkland across the United Kingdom. Since the 1990s, ash trees across Europe have been devastated by ash dieback, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen (Hymenoscyphus fraxineus), which has…
Learning about the commercial aspects of biological control to combat pests and new invasive threats in Pakistan
Biological control is a key element of an integrated pest management strategy. Not only is it environmentally safe but it is also important for sustainable crop production. Among various biocontrol methods, increasing the presence of natural enemies is an effective substitute when they are not sufficiently abundant or effective.
New policy brief highlights the unintended consequences of projects that promote invasive alien woody plants
A new policy brief has been published providing recommendations to support decision making about funding for projects that aim to introduce new, or promote established alien woody plant species.
Red and grey squirrel genomes could hold the key to the survival of reds in Britain and Ireland
New hope for the preservation of red squirrels in Britain and Ireland is on the horizon, after the completion of the red and grey squirrel reference genomes by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators. The genomes may hold clues to why grey squirrels are immune to squirrel pox, a disease that is…
New TR4 Portal on the Invasive Species Compendium
At the end of 2019, a new species portal was added to CABI’s Invasive Species Compendium (ISC) to bring together information and data related to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense tropical race 4, more commonly known as TR4. This portal, which is Open Access and available to all, brings together data on the current distribution, the…
Weed biological control: Challenges and opportunities
Michael Day and Arne Witt have just published ‘Weed biological control: Challenges and opportunities’ in the first edition of a new journal, Journal of Asian-Pacific Weed Science Society. Their paper traces the history of weed biological control and points to the many successes.
Eucalyptus – the ‘thirsty’ trees threatening to ‘drink’ South Africa dry
Eucalyptus species are widely grown and utilized throughout much of the world, Dr Arne Witt reports. They are a valuable source of timber, fuelwood, paper, nectar, etc. and as such often grown in woodlots and plantations. However, many of these introduced species have escaped cultivation and become invasive.
Redistribution of Zygogramma bicolorata to control Parthenium in Faisalabad
Parthenium weed (Parthenium hysterophorus) is a serious problem in wastelands throughout Pakistan and so far, no single method alone has proven effective in its management. Among the various causes of its rapid spread in Pakistan, lack of natural enemies or presence of a natural enemy in a specific part of the country is perhaps the…
Enabling access to FAIR and open agricultural data: CABI’s Action on Invasives takes the lead
For many centuries, data has been used in agriculture to help farmers, researchers and policymakers make more informed decisions. For instance, farmers use weather and soil data to decide how and when to fertilise, plant or harvest; and policymakers use data about the impact of pest and disease management interventions during evidence-based decision making.
New study: current resource use in areas of increasing prosopis cover is unsustainable
By Dr Urs Schaffner, Head Ecosystems Management In a newly-published paper in the journal Ecosystems Services: ‘The impact of invasive species on social-ecological systems: Relating supply and use of selected provisioning ecosystem services’, CABI scientists joined an international team of researchers who, in respect of the invasive weed prosopis, conducted the first study that integrates…