Satellite data offers alternative in predicting impact of biological control for hay-fever causing ragweed
New research – published in the journal Ecological Modelling – reveals an alternative method of predicting population trends through temperature of the leaf beetle Ophraella communa, a potential biological control agent of the hay-fever causing ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia in Europe.
Biocontrol: Early season leaf damage could inform us whether a noxious invader produces seeds
CABI scientists suggest a forecasting model could assess the ability of a humble beetle to control Ambrosia artemisiifolia, which causes major crop losses and is a nuisance to human health, as part of a wider management plan that also includes mowing, ploughing or mulching of the fields just before male flower formation.