East Africa Invasives Workshop

A regional workshop on `Invasive Species in East Africa' was held on 5-6 July 1999 at ICIPE in Nairobi to raise awareness on the status of invasive species in the region. The workshop focused on Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, was attended by 70 people from 41 national and governmental bodies, institutions, organizations and businesses involved in conservation, land management, biodiversity, GIS, research, agriculture and education. A full account of the workshop can be found at:
http://www.icipe.org/invasive/default.cfm

On the first day of the workshop, Hans Herren, Director General of ICIPE, welcomed the participants. Scott Miller in his introductory remarks considered the relevance of international treaties and conventions to the control of invasive species. Jeff Waage (Head of Biological Pest Management for CAB International Bioscience, UK and on the Executive Committee of the Global Invasive Species Programme, GISP) described the global nature of the invasive species problem, the challenges presented by invasive species to national, regional and global ecosystems and political/economic systems, and the possible role of GISP. He later described the two toolkits and associated case studies under preparation by GISP members. One toolkit will provide strategies and a database as part of an early warning system, while the other will provide strategies for developing national policies in the area of invasive species.

Moving on to national programmes and case studies, Wilson Songa (Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service) described legal and policy aspects of invasive species from the perspective of the Kenyan quarantine system, and Okaasai Opolot (Ugandan Phytosanitary and Quarantine Services) commented on the Ugandan experience. Christo Marais described how South Africa had started the Working for Water Programme having determined the high cost of water-consuming invasive plants in the dry Cape regions. This programme not only reduces the damage done by invasive species, but also, because it employs people from impoverished communities, helps to alleviate poverty and empower communities. Victor Kasulo (York University, UK & Malawi) described some of the economic and social costs of invasive species, incentives for changing individual and institutional behavior, and possible roles for donors in establishing sustainable invasive species programmes. Vishnu Tezoo (& Yousoof Mungroo) (Mauritius National Parks and Conservation Service) described a variety of approaches taken in Mauritius, an island with long experience of invasive species, including the active removal and continued exclusion of invasive species from a set of small reserves on the island. Timothy Twongo (Fisheries Research Institute of Uganda) described the impact and control options for plant and animal invaders in aquatic habitats. Geoffrey Mungai (National Museums of Kenya; NMK) described how herbarium records can be used to track both recent and historical movement of invasive plant species. Waweru Gitonga (Kenya Agricultural Research Institute; KARI) described efforts to control invasive aquatic weeds, including preemptive efforts, obtaining biological control agents for aquatic weeds that not yet in Kenya but have been invasive problems elsewhere. Josephine Songa (& William Overholt, ICIPE) described the ecology and dispersal of an agricultural invasive pest, the stem borer, Chilo patellus, providing insight into how non-agricultural alien insect pests might invade an area.

Richard Bagine moderated a session in which country-based working groups discussed the status of invasive species within protected areas and which ecosystems were most vulnerable to invasive species. Presentations of the outcomes showed striking similarities among the countries in pointing out that, both in protected areas and elsewhere, there was a need for more information and research on invasive species, for more capacity building at several levels, for better national and regional policy and associated enforcement, and underlying all of the other needs, a need for more funding and government commitment to controlling invasive species.

During the final session, attention was focused on shaping future efforts to control invasive species in East Africa. Four working groups were assembled and a brief report was presented for each: The Role of EAFRINET in the Fight Against Invasive Species ; Strengthening Research and Research Links on Invasive Species ; Coordinating Regional Efforts to Control Invasive Species ; and Capacity Building and Implementation in Invasive Species Programmes .

ICIPE and its workshop co-sponsors (the National Museums of Kenya, the World Conservation Union (IUCN), CAB International, the Kenya Wildlife Service, EAFRINET, and Makerere University of Uganda) acknowledge financial support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) for funding the workshop. Support was also received from CAB International, the National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Airways, South Africa Airways and Air Mauritius.

 

Plant Protection in Jerusalem

The XIVth International Plant Protection Conference (IPPC) was held in Jerusalem, Israel on the 25-29 July 1999 under the motto: `Plant protection towards the third millennium - where chemistry meets ecology'. More than 1000 scientists, plant protection professionals and administrators attended six plenary lectures and participated in 25 symposia, 28 workshops and 13 poster discussion sessions covering a wide array of topics in diverse field such as biological control of arthropods, weeds and diseases, theory and application of integrated pest management, utilization of biotechnology in pest control, pest resistance, crop resistance, genetic engineering, novel approaches in pesticides and pesticide technology, the sterile insect technique, precision farming and regulatory issues in plant protection.

Biological control was dealt with in the broadest sense. Several symposia discussed the more theoretical contributions to biological control. Topics dealt with included the concept of greenhouses as islands, insect behavior and communication as a source for pest and natural enemy manipulation and improvement, and the utilization of plant characteristics for improved biological control. Posters and lectures were presented concerning practical topics such as mass rearing and release of beneficials, implementation and evaluation of biological control in practice, the integration of biocontrol into protected agriculture and the conservation of natural enemies. The integration of chemical and biological control was also dealt with, and included probes into the use of new or less harmful insecticides, novel and better application methods, and the preservation of natural enemies.

The congress honoured the memory of the late Professor D. Rosen, a leading figure in the science of biological control, who was instrumental in electing Jerusalem as the site of the current congress and passed away while chairing the organizing committee. The opening plenary lecture entitled `The David Rosen Memorial Lecture, Biological Control of Citrus' was given by Marjorie Hoy from the University of Florida, USA on Sunday 25 July.

The `International Association of Plant Protection Sciences' (IAPPS) was inaugurated during the Congress. IAPPS will become a permanent multi-disciplinary association under which future IPPCs will convene. Beijing, People's Republic of China, has been elected as site for the XVth IPPC in 2003.

By: D. Gerling, Dept of Zoology,
Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
And: Y. Rossler, Biological Control Inst., Citrus Marketing Board of Israel,
Bet-Dagan, Israel

 

Methodology Workshop on Biocontrol of Plant Diseases

This workshop took place in CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Educación), Costa Rica from 28 June to 4 July 1999. It was jointly organized and sponsored by CABI Bioscience, CATIE and the US Department of Agriculture. Thirty-three participants and facilitators from ten countries attended: Brazil, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ghana, Panama, Peru, Trinidad & Tobago, UK and USA. The objective of this workshop was to provide, discuss and develop sound research methodologies for biocontrol of plant diseases and to encourage increased coordination and communication between different research groups involved in biocontrol. The main target groups were junior researchers and technical staff involved in the practical aspects of biocontrol and integrated disease management in cocoa. The emphasis was on biocontrol of fungal diseases, principally frosty pod (Moniliophthora roreri), black pod (Phytophthora palmivora and P. megakarya) and witches' broom (Crinipellis perniciosa).

The programme included lectures and practicals on: (1) Overview of cocoa diseases and methods for identification (H. Purdy); (2) Production of zoospores of Phytophthora and field inoculation methods for fungal pathogens (J. Castillo, M. Gonzáles, W. Phillips & S. Bharath); (3) Mechanisms of actions of biocontrol agents (R. D. Lumsden); (4) Biocontrol of cocoa diseases in Latin America - status of field trials (K. P. Hebbar, S. Lambert, U. Krauss & W. Soberanis); (5) Classical biological control (H. Evans); (6) Isolation of native fungal and bacterial antagonists against plant diseases (U. Krauss & E. Bustamante); (7) Fungal endophytes of tropical trees: methods and potential for biological control of fungal pathogens of cocoa (B. Arnold); (8) A preliminary study of cocoa-associated microorganisms (K. P. Hebbar); (9) Pre-screening of biocontrol agents with emphasis on bioassays (U. Krauss); (10) Fermentation and formulation of biocontrol agents (K. P. Hebbar); (11) Spray application of biopesticides to perennial crops (R. Bateman); (12) Diversity of Phytophthora species causing black pod disease of cocoa and implications for effective biocontrol (A. Appiah, J. Flood, P. Bridge & S. Archer); (13) The use of antagonist mixtures in biocontrol (U. Krauss); (14) Statistical considerations in scientific experimentation (C. Kleinn); and (15) Technology transfer and rural development (R. Mack & L. Rodríguez). Group discussions dealt with: (1) Practical notes on work with Phytophthora species (S. Bharath, W. Phillips, A. Appiah, H. Evans & U. Krauss); (2) Diversity of Crinipellis and Moniliophthora species (H. Evans & W. Phillips); and (3) Safety issues and regulations for initiating a biocontrol project. Requirements for setting-up a biocontrol facility (R. D. Lumsden, U. Krauss, K. P. Hebbar, H. Evans, & B. Arnold).

A two-day field trip included visits to (1) La Lola Experimental Station to see two biocontrol trials in cocoa against Phytophthora palmivora and Moniliophthora roreri, (2) an on-farm cocoa biocontrol trial in Talamanca, (3) the Asociación de Pequeños Productrores de Talamanca (APPTA) and their post-harvest facilities for organic cocoa, (4) Plantanera Río Sixaola environmentally friendly and fair-trade banana plantation with a stop at a port to appreciate the necessity of infrastructure, and (5) a rural biocontrol fermentation of entomopathogenic fungi.

The workshop came to the following conclusions and recommendation:

• In general, the experiences gained from field trials support the conclusions that there is a high potential for biocontrol agents to assist management of certain fungal diseases of cocoa that are presently unmanageable using available control methodologies. Gradual scaling-up of research effort and developing suitable strategies might offer the route to effective uses of biocontrol agents.
• Existing literature should be re-read carefully and critically. Co-ordinate with others in your field. Negative results of thoroughly conducted experiments are a valuable source of information and should be reported.
• The diversity of pathogen species must be considered when developing biocontrol agents. Phytophthora spp. are known to be highly diverse but for other pathogens this phenomenon is still under-investigated and often overlooked.
• Mixtures of pathogen strains should be employed to develop mixtures of antagonist strains. This should increase the chance that they are active against pathogen populations under a range of environmental conditions. Thus they may function better than a single-strain bioc