Inter-continental collaboration leads to successful biologically-based control of invasive pests

STEPHEN HIGHT; LAURA VARONE; GUILLERMO LOGARZO; MARIEL GUALA; ANA C. FALTLHAUSER

Mendoza

Congreso; X Congreso Argentino de Entomología, enfrentando nuevos desafíos: biodiversidad, modificaciones ambientales, sustentabilidad y globalización; 2018

IADIZA, Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, UNCUYO

The very nature of developing biologically-based controls for non-native species encourages, even requires, collaborative efforts between scientists? in the geographic region that suffers an invasive, non-native pest problem, and the region where that species is native and ususally a non-pest. Scientists from around the world have worked in Argentine to identify classical biological control agents since at least the early 1900s, but only since 1958 was the involvement of in-country scientists formalized. The Fundación Para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) has a distinguished and rich history of contribution with biological control programs, both invasive weeds and insects. Two ongoing projects will be discussed that highlight the collaboration between FuEDEI and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA): two native Argentine cactus-feeding insects from Argentina Cactoblastis cactorum, Pyralidae, and Hypogeococcus sp., Pseudococcidae) that threaten native North American cactus species. Collaborative efforts on C. cactorum have led to the identification and initial host range studies of a biological control agent (Apanteles opuntiarum; Braconidae), improvements in a synthetic female sex pheromone, and development of mating disruption technology. Hypogeococcus sp. collaboration has led to the determination that this insect ?species? is actually a complex of at least 4-6 species, identification of two potential host specific biological control agents (Encyrtidae). Without close cooperation and collaboration, neither of these projects would have attained their level of success.