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Read the
magazine
story to find out more. Seductive
Beetle Dines on Fruit WeedBy Rosalie Marion Bliss January 22, 2002A fruit-bearing weed is encroaching
on some 1.5 million acres of pasture, crop and urban land in the southeastern
United States. Cattle, deer and other wildlife enjoy snacking on the fruit
produced by the tropical soda apple (TSA). But this weed proliferates when its
seeds pass through the animals digestive tracts and are deposited as the
animals browse. Soon after, TSA takes over precious farmland. Agricultural Research Servicescientists led by Daniel Gandolfo with the South American Biological Control
Laboratory in Buenos Aires, Argentina, may have found a way to halt TSAs
dramatic spread. It seems both the larval and adult stages of a prolific
beetle, Gratiana boliviana, enjoy chewing the weed to death. The six-millimeter-long beetle, commonly known as the tortoise beetle,
reproduces rapidly, attracting and seducing mates with an iridescent,
turquoise-and-gold body. Studies in Argentina and cooperative studies with
University of Floridas Julio Medal at
quarantine facilities in Gainesville are helping pave the way for the
beetles release to control TSA-infested lands. Scientists had to ensure
G. boliviana would not devour important crops as well as the weed. To
protect nontarget plants, extensive tests--using eggplant as a guinea
pig--are being conducted to determine if G. boliviana could become
a pest on farm crops if released to control TSA. Study results so far have
eased this concern. If, as anticipated, the beetles performance continues to confirm these
findings, G. boliviana could be approved for release in the United
States sometime in the next two years. Read more about controlling TSA in the
Januaryissue of Agricultural
Research magazine. ARS is the chief scientific research agency in the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Story contacts South American Biological Control Laboratory Rosalie Bliss U.S. Department of Agriculture |