Philip SR Weyl

Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International | CABI · Switzerland

Cabomba caroliniana A. Gray, an ornamental submerged plant indigenous to tropical America, has been introduced to numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania, impacting native aquatic ecosystems. Given this species is a popular aquarium plant and widely traded, there is a high risk of introduction and invasion into other environments. In the cu...

Pre-release host specificity testing can reliably predict the environmental safety of weed biological control agent (BCA) candidates but typically does not consider their host-finding behavior. Therefore, BCA candidates that do not utilize non-target plants in the field post-release, despite development on such plants in pre-release tests, may be p...

Improving success rates of classical weed biocontrol programs is an ongoing effort that requires a variety of different approaches. Previous assessments indicated biocontrol agent taxonomy and feeding characteristics and weed life history traits are associated with better control outcomes. We examined weed biocontrol releases for correlations betwe...

Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) is an aggressive annual herbaceous weed which causes severe yield losses on a global scale. However, the precise impact of this weed in several countries is not yet known. To assess the impact of P . hysterophorus on maize crop losses in Pakistan, a 2 year field experiment was carried out at the CABI Rawalpi...

Pre‐release host range assessments of weed biocontrol agent (BCA) candidates typically rely on no‐choice and choice feeding, oviposition, and development tests. However, these tests may exclude potentially environmentally safe BCA candidates from consideration if they develop on nontarget plant species in no‐choice tests that they would not coloniz...

CABI is a not-for-profit international organization with the mission of improving people’s lives worldwide by solving problems in agriculture and the environment, while engendering trust and facilitating science. As an organisation CABI is both a provider and a user of biological control agents and regularly acting as an intermediary between provid...

The Nagoya Protocol actions the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity and provides a framework to effectively implement the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources. This includes microorganisms used as biological control agents. Thus biological control practitioners must comply with acc...

The third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources was further developed when the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing came into effect in 2014. Interpretation of how this agreement is being implemented is wide-ranging and there are implicati...

The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) was implemented to further develop the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources. Interpretation of this agreement is wide-ranging and there is concern that if ABS measures are poorl...

A two-year field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of intercropping sweet corn with summer savory on weed growth and crop productivity. Five cropping patterns were set up: sweet corn alone (16 seeds m ⁻² : in rows, 75cm apart), summer savory alone (40 seeds m ⁻² ; broadcasted), and three intercropping ratios of 75% sweet corn, 25% sum...

This datasheet on Lepidium draba covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Further Information.

This datasheet on Isatis tinctoria covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Further Information.

This datasheet on Parthenium hysterophorus covers Identity, Overview, Distribution, Dispersal, Hosts/Species Affected, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Further Information.

This datasheet on Elaeagnus angustifolia covers Identity, Overview, Associated Diseases, Pests or Pathogens, Distribution, Dispersal, Diagnosis, Biology & Ecology, Environmental Requirements, Natural Enemies, Impacts, Uses, Prevention/Control, Management, Genetics and Breeding, Food Quality, Economics, Further Information.

Biological control (biocontrol) against invasive macrophytes is one of the longest standing programmes in South Africa, initiated in the 1970s against water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes Mart. (Pontederiaceae). Since then, 15 agent species (13 insects, one mite and one pathogen) have been released against six weeds, most of which are floating macr...

Parthenium, or Parthenium hysterophorus, has extended its range in Pakistan throughoutPunjab and into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas, Azad Jammu andKashmir, and Sindh Provinces. Without control measures against parthenium, the negative impacts of this weed will go unchecked having deleterious effects on native biodiver...

The authors would like to make the following corrections to this paper [...]

The Eurasian gall-forming weevil Ceutorhynchus cardariae Korotyeav (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a biological control candidate for the invasive Eurasian Lepidium draba L. (Brassicaceae) in the western USA. Among 157 nontarget plant species that have been tested, some North American Caulanthus and Streptanthus species, confamilial with Lepidium, w...

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a fast-growing deciduous tree native to China, considered a serious invasive species worldwide, with several socio-economic and ecological impacts attributed to it. Chemical and mechanical methods have limited efficacy in its management, and biological controls may offer a suitable and sustainable option. Acu...

A classical biological control agent is an exotic host-specific natural enemy, which is intentionally introduced to obtain long-term control of an alien invasive species. Among the arthropods considered for this role, eriophyid mites are likely to possess the main attributes required: host specificity, efficacy, and long-lasting effects. However, s...

Camelthorn, Alhagi maurorum Medik. (Fabaceae, Leguminosae), a native component of the Asian flora, is invasive in Australia, South Africa and the USA where it is considered a noxious weed in several states. To date there is no biological control program against this weed; however, initial investigations into potential biocontrol agents revealed an...

Parthenium, Parthenium hysterophorus L. poses a serious environmental and socioeconomic threat in Pakistan. It was identified as a priority for control in Pakistan and an integrated control programme has been launched against this invasive weed. In 2009 the biological control agent, Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister, was documented in Pakistan and th...

Parthenium, Parthenium hysterophorus L. poses a serious environmental and socioeconomic threat in Pakistan. It was identified as a priority for control in Pakistan and an integrated control programme has been launched against this invasive weed. In 2009 the biological control agent, Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister, was documented in Pakistan and th...

Parthenium hysterophorus is an annual herb that aggressively colonizes disturbed sites. It is considered as one of the '100 most invasive species in the world' by the IUCN (GISD, 2018). Native to the New World, it has been accidentally introduced into several countries and has become a serious agricultural and rangeland weed in parts of Australia,...

Parthenium hysterophorus, commonly known as parthenium weed, is an invasive alien species in Pakistan. There are no specialized natural enemies native to Pakistan that attack the plant species inflicting serious damage and, thereby, keeping it under control. The rust species Puccinia abrupta var. partheniicola, commonly known as the winter rust, is...

Parthenium hysterophorus L. (parthenium weed) is an annual weed that grows rapidly in disturbed land. It is considered as one of the most hazardous weeds in Pakistan as it poses serious health problems to livestock as well as severe allergenic reactions in humans. It has invaded the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and also been spreading in...

The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol establish that genetic resources shall be accessed only upon the existence of prior informed consent of the country that provides those resources and that benefits arising from their utilization shall be shared. Pursuant to both agreements several countries have adopted regulations on a...

In many parts of the world, excess growth of Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) poses a serious threat to aquatic environments. In Cameroon, where manual clearing is still undertaken, little is known about fungal diversity associated with the plant, or its potential for biological control. Surveys of the Wouri River Basin in the Littoral Region...

Russian Olive, Elaeagnus angustifolia was introduced into North America primarily as a wind break and shade tree. Today it is listed as a noxious weed in the U.S. and Canada. During field surveys in the native range, the eriophyid mite, Aceria angustifoliae was identified as a promising biological control agent. Results from no-choice and open-fiel...

Alien invasive weeds are recognized as a global threat to natural and agro-ecosystems. The list of alien weeds of Pakistan is extensive, with many of these having become invasive posing a serious threat to agricultural production, biodiversity and human and animal health. Some of the worst affected environments are forest ecosystems, where woody in...

The discovery that cryptic species are more abundant than previously thought has implications for weed biological control, as there is a risk that cryptic species may be inadvertently released with consequences for the safety of the practice. A cryptic species of a biological control agent released for the control of the invasive alien macrophyte,...

Invasions can be genetically diverse, and that diversity may have implications for invasion management in terms of resistance or tolerance to control methods. We analyzed the population genetics of Russian-olive ( Elaeagnus angustifolia L.), an ecologically important and common invasive tree found in many western U.S. riparian areas. We found three...

Since publication of the first record of Eichhornia crassipes in Cameroon in 1997, the weed has become highly invasive in the Wouri River Basin. Between June and September 2014, a socio-economic survey using participatory and qualitative methods was undertaken in the riparian villages of the Wouri River Basin to assess the perception of respondents...

Alien invasive weeds are recognized as a global threat to natural and agro-ecosystems. The list of alien weeds of Pakistan is extensive, with many of these having become invasive posing a serious threat to agricultural production, biodiversity and human and animal health. Some of the worst affected environments are forest ecosystems, where woody in...

The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) with the aim to provide a legal framework for the Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS). The Protocol is impacting our work when searching for, collecting and studying natural ene...

Alien invasive weeds are recognized as a global threat to natural and agro-ecosystems. The list of alien weeds of Pakistan is extensive, with many of these having become invasive posing a serious threat to agricultural production, biodiversity and human and animal health. Some of the worst affected environments are forest ecosystems, where woody in...

A new species of eriophyoid mite Aceria alhagi n. sp. inhabiting the weed Alhagi maurorum Medik., is described from the type locality in Iran, but it was also collected from Uzbekistan, Turkey and Armenia. This mite causes changes of the leaves and inflorescence. Infested plants develop cauliflower-like galls on the inflorescence and leaves deformi...

The aquatic weed Salvinia molesta D.S. Mitch. (Salviniaceae) was first recorded in South Africa in the early 1900s, and by the 1960s was regarded as one of South Africa's worst aquatic weeds. Following the release of the weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder and Sands (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in 1985, the weed is now considered under successful b...

Biological control agents must be collected and utilised in compliance with the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) which is being implemented independently by each country that is signatory to the Protocol. By March 2018, 50 countries had legislation in place with an additional 54 designing their Legislative, Administrative or Poli...

The functional feeding groups and diversity of macroinvertebrate communities associated with duckweed mats in the New Years River (two sites) and Bloukrans River (two sites), Eastern Cape province, South Africa, were assessed. Duckweed (Lemnaceae) is a ubiquitous family of floating macrophytes. A total of 41 macroinvertebrate families were collecte...

Premise of the study: Using phylogeographic analyses to determine the geographic origins of biological invaders is important for identifying environmental adaptations and genetic composition in their native range as well as biocontrol agents among indigenous herbivores. Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) and its hybrid with northern wat...

The Vaal River, South Africa, historically had a rich diversity of native submerged macrophytes with at least 13 species from 5 families recorded. Over the past 10 years there has been a noticeable reduction in the occurrence and diversity of submerged macrophytes in the river. It is possible that this is linked to the recent increase in the popula...

Variability in aquatic plant morphology is usually driven by phenotypic plasticity and local adaptations to environmental conditions experienced. This study aimed to elucidate which of these drivers is responsible for the morphological variation exhibited by three populations of Myriophyllum spicatum L. (Haloragaceae), a submerged aquatic plant who...

The submerged aquatic macrophyte Myriophyllum spicatum L. (Haloragaceae) has been recorded in southern Africa since 1829. It was first considered problematic in 2005 on the Vaal River, which has highlighted the need for an assessment of the invasion status and an appropriate management strategy to be identified. We used a unified invasion framework...

A sampling method and apparatus for collecting meaningful and quantifiable samples of aquatic macroinvertebrates, and the macrophytes they are associated with, are presented. Where physical danger from wildlife is a significant factor, especially in Africa, this apparatus offers some safety in that it can be operated from a boat. The study aimed to...

Insect–insect interactions can have implications for biological control programmes when multiple agent species are released. In many cases there is an increase in the efficacy when more than one species is used; however, there is a possibility that releasing an additional species into a programme could have a negative effect. The interactions betwe...

Fish predation is one of the driving forces of freshwater invertebrate community structures, with alien predators having a pronounced effect. A quantitative assessment of aquatic invertebrates in the Wit River, Sundays River catchment, Eastern Cape, South Africa, was undertaken to assess the impact of the alien fish Micropterus salmoides on their r...