Zygogramma, Listronotus, and Smicronyx. Those names may sound like a trio of Harry Potter bad guys, but when it comes to the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus, they’re actually the heroes.
As Ethiopia faces drought and famine, the invasive weed Parthenium has further complicated the country’s precarious food situation. One of the world’s most invasive weeds, Parthenium came to East Africa from the Americans in the 1970s. The weed destroys native crops, causes rashes on human skin, and taints milk and meat when ingested by animals. In Ethiopia, farmers call it “Faramsissa,” meaning “sign your land away.”
During a trip to Ethiopia in December, 2015 to host a Parthenium workshop as part of our Phase V Parthenium project, the IPM IL team was given a gift to help in the country’s fight against the damaging weed. Chemeda Fininsa, president of Haramaya Agricultural University, presented 100,000 Birr, roughly $5,000, in support of the Parthenium project.
The project increases the amount of two previously approved biocontrol agents slated for release into fields. These biocontrol agents are the leaf-feeding beetle Zygogramma, called the parthenium beetle or Mexican beetle, and a stem-boring weevil, Listronotus. The team is also evaluating a new beetle involved in parthenium control, Smicronyx.
Haramaya Agricultural University is the site of one of the project’s facilities where these bioagents are reared. The university has been a partner with Virginia Tech since 2005.
“This grant not only enhances field establishment of these bioagents against parthenium, but it also strengthens collaboration in our efforts to suppress this weed and represents a vote of confidence in the work we’re doing,” said IPM IL director, Muni Muniappan.
Over the next five years, this project will also scale-up the release and monitoring of Zygogramma in Tanzania, obtain necessary permits for the field release of Zygogramma in Kenya and Uganda, and release Listronotus and other natural enemies (evaluated in Ethiopia) in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Use this link to download a printer-friendly version of this story: IPM IL Awarded 100,000 Birr from Haramaya University for Parthenium Research