The Current and Potential Distribution of Parthenium Weed and Its Biological Control Agent in Pakistan.

L. (Asteraceae), commonly known as parthenium weed, is a highly invasive weed spreading rapidly from northern to southern parts of Pakistan. The persistence of parthenium weed in the hot and dry southern districts suggests that the weed can survive under more extreme conditions than previously thought.

Assessing Seed Longevity of the Invasive Weed Navua Sedge (), by Artificial Ageing.

Navua sedge ( (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth) is a significant agricultural and environmental weed found in tropical island countries including north Queensland, Australia. It is a prolific seed producer and consequently forms a high-density seedbank, and therefore understanding the longevity and persistence of the seeds can provide critical information required for the management of this species.

Effect of Rhizome Fragment Length and Burial Depth on the Emergence of a Tropical Invasive Weed (Navua Sedge).

(Navua sedge) is a problematic perennial weed in pastures and crops including sugarcane, banana, rice, and fruits and vegetables in tropical climates. It reproduces both via rhizomes and seeds. As a regenerative and storage organ, these rhizomes play an important part in the invasion, establishment, and persistence of this weed.

Taxonomic Delineation of the Old World Species Stomphastis thraustica (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) Feeding on Jatropha gossypiifolia (Euphorbiaceae) that Was Collected in the New World and Imported as a Biocontrol Agent to Australia.

We provide the identification and species delineation of this biocontrol agent as Stomphastis thraustica (Meyrick in Trans Ent Soc Lond 80(1):107-120, 1908) belonging to the family Gracillariidae. We clarify the distribution pattern of S. thraustica, its host plant preferences, and present taxonomic and molecular diagnoses based on original morphological and genetic data as well as data retrieved from historic literature and genetic databases.

Exploration of RNA-Seq data to identify a potential pathogen of the leaf-mining moth, (Meyrick, 1908) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae).

The leaf-mining moth, (Meyrick, 1908) was imported to Australia as a potential biological control agent of an exotic weed, bellyache bush (), from Peru. The insect colony has been maintained in the quarantine facility for over eight years but recently, significant mortality was observed in the culture. The larvae demonstrated swollen intersegments with a fragile integument.

Biology, Ecology and Management of the Invasive Navua Sedge ()-A Global Review.

Navua sedge ( (Ridley) Mattf. & Kukenth) is an invasive perennial sedge, native to tropical Africa, which is threatening many natural ecosystems and agroecosystems, especially in northern Queensland, Australia. Crop and pasture production have been impacted by Navua sedge and it is also directly causing reductions in dairy and beef production in affected regions.

Reducing the fitness of an invasive weed, Parthenium hysterophorus: Complementing biological control with plant competition.

We studied the effects of a biological control agent, Epiblema strenuana Walker (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) alone and together with a sown native grass, Astrebla squarrosa C.E. Hubb.

Projecting future expansion of invasive species: comparing and improving methodologies for species distribution modeling.

Modeling the distributions of species, especially of invasive species in non-native ranges, involves multiple challenges. Here, we developed some novel approaches to species distribution modeling aimed at reducing the influences of such challenges and improving the realism of projections. We estimated species-environment relationships for Parthenium hysterophorus L.