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Related invasive species

  • Convolvulus arvensis
Cultural Control


Sheep and cattle (Sa'ad, 1967) readily graze C. arvensis. The weed does not generally appear to be a problem in areas frequently grazed by ruminants. If animals constantly remove the foliage, and thus the source of photosynthates for the perennial root system, it follows that the weed will be controlled in the longer term. However, there are reports that feeding on C. arvensis can adversely affect the health of stock (Parsons and Cuthbertson, 1992) but these appear to be very sporadic.
Cultivation / Mechanical Control
Phillips and Timmons (1954) carried out research which showed that C. arvensis could be eliminated within two seasons with careful cultivation practices, provided all aerial shoots were cut completely within 12 days of emergence. The weed could be eliminated with an average of 16 cultivations. Timmons and Bruns (1951) showed no practical advantage in cultivating deeper than 7.5-10 cm, but that the interval between cultivations could be lengthened to three weeks with deeper compared to shallow cultivation. Again, excellent control was obtained after two seasons (Holm et al., 1977). Shallow cultivation implements using normal cropping practices (one to two cultivations in autumn) do little but spread C. arvensis and increase the density of shoots emerging in spring (Schweitzer et al., 1988). Fragments of roots as small as 5 cm can regenerate (Swan and Chancellor, 1976). Therefore, if cultivation is to be used to successfully control the weed, it has to be frequent, thorough and persistent during the time that stems emerge. A minimum of two seasons appear to be necessary for a satisfactory outcome.

Biological Control
Rosenthal and Buckingham (1982) state that a European survey indicates that 140 species of insects, three mites and three fungi are associated with C. arvensis.<br>The pathogen Phomopsis convolvulus has been found to have some potential as a mycoherbicide for control of C. arvensis (Ormeno-Nunez et al., 1988;Vogelsgang et al., 1998;Morin et al., 1989).<br>In the 1970s, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) initiated a programme for the biological control of field bindweed;two biological control agents have been released in North America so far. The gall mite Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae) was released in Texas in 1989 and has been redistributed since in several US states and in Canada (Boldt and Sobhian, 1993;McClay et al., 1999). In heavily infested plants, the shoots are distorted and growth is severely stunted. However, establishment and impact under field conditions are variable and appear to depend on moisture levels. Effective control of C. arvensis with A. malherbae also requires additional management such as regular mowing and redistribution of mites. The bindweed moth Tyta luctuosa (Lep.: Noctuidae) was released in 1987. Establishment was reported from Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington (McClay and De Clerck-Floate, 2013;Pacific Northwest Moths, 2015) and reports from Oregon suggest that it has had a low impact (Andreas et al., 2015).<br>In 2008 a new programme was initiated and additional potential agents were selected for screening at CABI in Switzerland. Experiment found the flea beetle Longitarsus rubiginosus (Col.: Chrysomelidae) and Longitarsus pellucidus not suitable as a biocontrol agents and the agromyzid fly Melanagromyza albocilia (Dipt.: Agromyzidae) proved difficult to rear in the lab (open-field tests are necessary to further assess the host specificity of this fly). The defoliating moth Emmelia trabealis (Lep.: Noctuidae) and the tortoise beetle Hypocassida subferruginea (Col.: Chrysomelidae) were selected for preliminary open-field tests. However, results were of such study were inconclusive and need to be repeated and additional tests in the lab with critical test species (e.g. sweet potato) would be necessary. Given the presence of other defoliating herbivores on C. arvensis in North America, investigations on natural enemies that attack other parts of the plant would be more fruitful. Attacking the root system will be critical to the successful control of the plant.
Has Cabi datasheet ID
15101
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