Importation, rearing and field release of the Cape Broom Psyllid

Summary

This project is designed to enable the importation, rearing and trial release of a sap-sucking insect (psyllid) effective in controlling the invasive woody legume Cape Broom, infestations of which occur across all temperate states in Australia.

Aims

This project originally aimed to facilitate the importation and rearing of the Cape broom psyllid (Arytinnis hakani), followed by the field release of insects. The overall project aim is still to work towards the approval of A. hakani for the biological control of Genista monspessulana (Cape broom).

Since the discovery of the Cape broom psyllid in the Mount Lofty Ranges the project aims have moved away from importation and lab rearing to assessing any field risk potential posed by A. hakani and to assess the impact of the psyllid on Australian stands of Cape broom.

Background

Cape broom (or Montpellier broom), Genista monspessulana, is a woody legume weed with significant current and potential impacts on forestry production, biodiversity of natural ecosystems, grazing systems, access to amenity areas and fire risk. Infestations occur in all temperate states of Australia, with particularly severe infestations in the Adelaide Hills, southern Tasmania, central and southern Great Dividing Range of NSW and central Victoria. It is also becoming more prevalent in south-west Western Australia. Cape broom ranked 37th in the weeds nominated for WoNS (Thorpe and Lynch 2000), with a particularly high impact score due to its formation of dense, impenetrable thickets arising from a long-lived soil seedbank.

CSIRO and the Weeds CRC commenced investigations into biocontrol of Cape broom in 1999-2000, with additional investment from the State of California, as part of the International Broom Initiative.

Host-specificity testing was completed on Weeds CRC funding for a list approved in 2002 by Biosecurity Australia. However, a South Australian (SA) working group identified a need for further testing on additional Lupinus spp., which can be completed at CSIRO’s Montpellier research facility in France. 
 

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