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Impact of the gall fly, Urophora stylata, on the pasture weed, Cirsium vulgare, in New Zealand

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Abstract

The gall fly, Urophora stylata F. (Diptera: Tephritidae), was released in New Zealand in 1998 as a biocontrol agent against the thistle weed, Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Tenore. A survey of 20 randomly selected pasture populations of C. vulgare was conducted to assess the impact of the gall fly on seed production. Attack by the biocontrol agent reduced the number of seeds per seedhead by 47%, individual seed weight by 21%, and seed germination rate by 30%. Where the biocontrol agent was present, population seed reduction ranged from 11 to 61%. The impact of the gall fly significantly increased from southern to more northern latitudes of C. vulgare populations in New Zealand. This study represents the first post-release assessment of this biocontrol agent and indicates that U. stylata can have a significant impact on the seed production of C. vulgare, especially in northern New Zealand where seedhead attack is greatest.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Chris Hunt (AgResearch) for assistance with the random selection of survey locations. We thank Sarah O’Connell, Laura Gray, Alison Whiteford, and Maria Shanks (beef + lamb New Zealand farm extension managers) for contacting farmers to survey the selected thistle populations. We thank Jennifer Agaldo for assistance with seedhead dissections and Benjamin Kaltenbach for assistance with the seed germination tests. We thank Dan Dash (Lincoln University) for assistance with the C. vulgare monitoring site. We thank Shona Lamoureaux for assistance creating the map of New Zealand. This study was funded by the AgResearch Strategic Science Investment Fund through the New Zealand Ministry for Business, Innovation, and Employment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AgResearch, Lincoln Science Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand

    Michael Cripps & Chikako van Koten

  2. Pest Management and Conservation Department, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand

    Jovesa Navukula & Seona Casonato

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  1. Michael Cripps
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  2. Jovesa Navukula
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  3. Seona Casonato
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  4. Chikako van Koten
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Correspondence to Michael Cripps.

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The article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals other than those detailed for the insects.

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Handling Editor: S. Raghu

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Cripps, M., Navukula, J., Casonato, S. et al. Impact of the gall fly, Urophora stylata, on the pasture weed, Cirsium vulgare, in New Zealand. BioControl 65, 501–513 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-020-10007-0

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