Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR) Heteropsylla cubana as a biocontrol agent
for Leucaena leucocephala in Hawaii

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Information and references regarding Heteropsylla cubana as a biocontrol agent for Leucaena leucocephala in Hawaii are provided here. For further information, contact webmaster@hear.org.

Status of Heteropsylla cubana as a biocontrol agent for Leucaena leucocephala in Hawaii

Heteropsylla cubana, the leucaena psyllid was discovered in Hawaii in 1984. This psyllid was causing extensive defoliation of Leucaena leucocephala. Ranchers who relied on leucaena as fodder in marginal lands were concerned, and the Hawaii Department of Agriculture initiated a search for natural enemies of the psyllid in Trinidad and Tobago. Conservationists who considered leucaena a pest initially objected to efforts to control the psyllid, but as leucaena stands opened up, broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus) invaded the understory. Broomsedge provided fuel for more intense and extensive wildfires which threatened remaining pockets of native vegetation in lowland mesic areas. Eventually, opposition to control of the leucaena psyllid weakened, and Psyllaephagus yaseeni, a nymphal parasite of the psyllid, was released in Hawaii in 1987 and 1988. (info from http://www.hear.org/bibliography/references/9455_smith_2002/; info as of 2000)

References for Heteropsylla cubana as a biocontrol agent for Leucaena leucocephala in Hawaii

Biological control of invasive plants in native Hawaiian ecosystems (synthesis and conclusions)
Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight. 2002. Biological control of invasive plants in native Hawaiian ecosystems (synthesis and conclusions). pp. 117-122 in 2002. Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight. pp. 117-122 in Smith, Clifford W., Julie Denslow, and Stephen Hight (eds). 2002. Proceedings of workshop on biological control of native ecosystems in Hawaii. Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit (University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Botany) Technical Report 129. 122 pages. from http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/duffy/techr/129.pdf accessed 16 March 2008. (http://www.hear.org/bibliography/references/9455_smith_2002/)

The Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk (HEAR) project is currently funded by the Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN) of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) through PIERC (USGS) with support from HCSU (UH Hilo). More details are available online. Pacific Basin Information Node (PBIN)National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)
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