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This
web site provides land managers with information about the
biological control of bridal creeper.
Three biological control agents of bridal creeper have been released in Australia: the leafhopper Zygina sp. in 1999, the rust fungus Puccinia myrsiphylli in 2000 and the leaf beetle Crioceris sp. in 2002.
CSIRO led a national redistribution program for these biological control agents from 2002-2008. The program involved collaborators from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, with financial assistance from the Australian Government (Natural Heritage Trust and Defeating the Weed Menace initiative). The program fast tracked the release and spread of the leafhopper and rust fungus across the entire range of bridal creeper infestations. Despite major efforts, the leaf beetle has only established at a few sites.
Over the years, the program, through a series of field days, taught on-ground groups and landholders the basic skills to identify, release and monitor the impact of the agents. Detailed information about the agents and various protocols for release and redistribution are accessible on this web site. A national database of release sites up to July 2008, accessible as an Excel file, is also available.
This work has been funded by:
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CSIRO
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Weeds CRC - Cooperative
Research Centre for Australian Weed Management
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Australian Government (DAFF and DEHWA) – Defeating the Weed Menace
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NHT - Natural Heritage
Trust
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ANZECC
- the Australian and New Zealand Environment Conservation
Council
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