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Looking for control agents in Argentina
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Research
Currently, there is little that can be done to control cabomba
once it is established. Herbicides are largely ineffective
and should not be used in or around public water supplies.
Some managers are using floating mechanical harvesters to
remove cabomba, but these machines are expensive to purchase
and operate and are restricted to areas of deep water and
wide channels. In addition, they only remove the tops of the
plants and the remaining stems soon grow back to the surface.
It is likely that the only method that will be effective
in reducing cabomba is biological control. This method involves
introducing host-specific insects from the weed's country
of origin. These herbivores feed specifically on the target
plant and reduce the ability of the weed to out-compete other
aquatic plant species. Funded by NHT through DEH, and with
support from a number of community groups, CSIRO Entomology
began a project last year to discover and test biological
control agents from cabomba's home range (Argentina and adjacent
countries) in an effort to find a long-term sustainable solution
to this problem. We are currently studying several insects
that look promising as biological control agents.
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