International Knapweed Symposium

The First International Knapweed Symposium of the 21st century was held on 15-16 March 2001, at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho, USA. This is the fourth Knapweed Symposium in the series.

The Symposium featured speakers from six countries. In addition, participants from 11 western States and two Canadian provinces helped to comprise the total of 350 participants. Sixty-seven presentations, split between oral and poster formats, were given to this larger-than-expected audience. The goal of the symposium was to share new information on the major invasive knapweed species in North America, namely diffuse, spotted, squarrose, and Russian knapweeds (Centaurea diffusa, C. maculosa, C. squarrosa and C. repens, respectively), and yellow starthistle (C. solstitialis). The diversity of subject matter presented included recent advances in field-based knapweed research, integrated knapweed management within the framework of multi-disciplinary, multi- agency, cooperative programmes, applying ecological principles of knapweed management, recent advances in biological control, new approaches to technology transfer, mapping and database management, restoration and revegetation (including the planned use of livestock to manage weeds), and current taxonomic research.

Information sharing and camaraderie were apparent outside the meeting rooms, as folks continued their discussions and renewed old acquaintances. The proceedings of the Symposium are available on CD ROM. To obtain one, please contact Linda Wilson (details below). For more information, please visit the symposium web site at: http://www.sidney.ars.usda.gov/knapweed

By: Linda Wilson,
Department Plant, Soil and Entomological Sciences, University of Idaho,
Moscow, ID 83844-2339, USA
Email: lwilson@uidaho.edu 
Fax +1 208 885 7760

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African Biopesticide Meeting

A 'Pan-African Workshop on Biopesticide Registration' was held in West Africa from 29 January to 2 February 2001 at the Plant Health Management Division of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Cotonou, Benin. The workshop was sponsored by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, USA (Virginia Tech) and IITA. The event was part of Virginia Tech's US Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project to develop biopesticides for locust and grasshopper control in sub-Saharan African using indigenous insects. USAID support came from the Africa Emergency Locust and Grasshopper Assistance (AELGA) project in the Africa Bureau of USAID.

The workshop was attended by 40 representatives of plant protection services, pesticide registration authorities, and other stakeholder organizations from fifteen countries across Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the FAO Emergency Prevention Service (EMPRES), the Inter-African Phytosanitary Council of the Organization for African Unity (OAU), and the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) were represented. An expert on biopesticide registration from the US Environmental Protection Agency also participated.

The group spent 5 days reviewing how different microbe-based biological control products work, understanding how they are currently used in Africa and other parts of the world, and examining the current national and regional regulatory frameworks for registering biopesticides in Africa. Of particular interest to participants was the contribution from the South African representative who explained the procedures by which Green Muscle^TM was registered in South Africa. The participants developed recommendations regarding how existing regulations and guidelines for the registration of synthetic chemical pesticides can be better adapted to the unique properties of biocontrol agents.

Following the workshop, working groups for West Africa and Eastern Africa spent 3 days drafting relevant documents for their regions based on the recommendations. The West African working group revised its draft biopesticide registration guidelines and initiated the design for a decision document for use by the Comité Sahelien des Pesticides (Sahelian Pesticide Committee, CSP) of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). This document will be used to consistently evaluate biopesticide registration dossiers in the regional CSP system, which comprises nine countries. Through the USAID/Virginia Tech biopesticide project, two components of the guidelines had been previously prepared with the leadership of Senegal's Direction de la Protection des Végétaux (DPV). These documents have been drafted at the request of the CSP.

In Eastern Africa there is no regional system comparable to the CSP, although the South and East African Regional Committee on Harmonization (SEARCH) is working to harmonize data requirements for synthetic pesticides. The objective of the Eastern Africa working group was to develop a framing document that can be used by countries in Eastern Africa to harmonize national guidelines and regulations on pesticide registration with respect to microbial biopesticides. The working group represented pesticide registration authorities from five countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda). During the workshop and working group sessions, the individual team members made plans for how these recommendations can be put to use to facilitate biopesticide registration, including their presentation to national regulatory bodies, SEARCH, and the OAU Inter-African Phytosanitary Council.

The organizing committee believes that the adoption and uptake of recommendations by regional and international bodies will be crucial to the long-term successful achievement of the workshop's objectives. Proceedings from the conference are being prepared and will be available in during 2001.

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