| Effectiveness of the Control of Ragwort (Senecio) Species:
Can Biological Control by the Use of Natural Enemies Effectively
Control Senecio jacobaea (Common Ragwort)? |
What is the aim
of the review?
To systematically collate and synthesise published and unpublished
evidence in order to evaluate the effectiveness of natural enemies
used for the control of common ragwort (Senecio jacobaea),
by the use of datasets concerning measures of population density
or plant characteristics following biological control experiments.
Who's in the review team?
At what stage is the review?
This review is now complete.
What is the rationale?
Ragwort species are widespread throughout Europe
and North America, Southern Australia and New Zealand, and are
known to be toxic to grazing animals; whether freshly grazed by
the animal or consumed within feed or foliage, they can cause
morbidity and mortality to livestock and equestrienne species.
Senecio jacobaea is so invasive that it is listed under
the UK Weeds Act 1959 and the recent UK Ragwort Control Bill 2003.
The use of natural enemies to control
S. jacobaea was first undertaken in the early 1930s by
the introduction of Tyria jacobaeae (cinnabar moth, also
previously named Callimorpha jacobaeae L.) into Australia.
Since then the addition of other natural enemies, such as the
widely used Longitarsus jacobaeae (ragwort flea-beetle),
have been employed in an attempt to control the spread of S.
jacobaea. Yet there has not been a systematic evaluation
of the effectiveness of biocontrol in the management of ragwort.
The review will be of interest to conservation managers and agencies,
farmers and land-owners.
How were the results
obtained?
A number of electronic databases were searched for relevant studies
using a range of search terms. Internet searches were conducted
in order to retrieve any relevant grey literature. Bibliographies
of retrieved articles were checked for additional relevant references.
The websites of several major UK conservation organisations were
also searched for useful publications. 1712 unique references
were identified through the search strategy, 14 of these were
accepted into the final review having met all inclusion criteria;
of these, 9 presented data that were meta-analysable, and 8 presented
timeseries data which was tabulated.
What
did the review find?
To read more about this review, its findings, and the implications for conservationists and researchers, please see the Summary or Full Report.
Comments?
If you would like to comment on any aspect of this review, please email us. Your feedback is appreciated.
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