Sunday, March 09, 2003

Biological Control in Africa

South Africa is turning to a caterpillar to fight the invasive paraffin plant (Chromolaena odorata), a New World tropical weed that has taken over acres of land since it was accidentally introduced in the 1950's. According to this article from allAfrica.com, researchers have imported a Cuban strain of the caterpillars, after grubs from Florida didn't perform as well as had been hoped. The Central American grubs are apparently a better match for the populations of plants, also known as Siam weed, that proliferate in South Africa.

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