A Japanese insect is to be introduced on a trial basis in Britain to
tackle a damaging super-weed, the government announced.

The Japanese knotweed was originally used as an ornamental plant in
gardens across Britain but has rapidly spread, costing over 150
million pounds (225 million dollars, 165 million euros) a year to
control.

Agricultural and environmental research organisation CABI claim the
psyllid bug from Japan -- or "jumping plant lice" -- is a successful
and natural way of controlling the weed.

"We have every reason to believe that this knotweed specialist can
help limit impacts of this harmful invasive weed safely and
sustainably," said Dick Shaw, lead researcher of the project.

The non-native bug will be released to a small number of sites across
England this spring -- the locations are being kept secret to prevent
the trials being disrupted -- and monitored to check progress.

Huw Irranca-Davies, a minister at the Department for Environment and
Rural Affairs (Defra), said: "This project is not only ground-
breaking, it offers real hope that we can redress the balance.

"These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese knotweed, will
help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of
treating and killing this devastating plant."

The plant can grow up to a metre a month, causing damage to anything
in its path such as buildings, roads and pavements.

CABI says it is sure the psyllid will only target the Japanese
knotweed and a few other similar non-native species, after testing it
on 90 different British plant species over seven years.

Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.

"There are isolated sites in the south of the country .. so that we
can monitor very closely and have a contingency plan in place, and
then it'll be a wider scale release if it passes that test," Shaw told
BBC radio.

Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.

"There are isolated sites in the south of the country .. so that we
can monitor very closely and have a contingency plan in place, and
then it'll be a wider scale release if it passes that test," Shaw told
BBC radio.

Remember the Cane Toad?
--
Jim S
Tyneside UK
www.jimscott.co.uk

In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-03-09 09:51:48 +0000, said:

In article ,
Mike P the 1st wrote:
Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm
Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

You mean "there goes the Ipomoea"?

No. They didn't mean that type of bindweed.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

wrote:
Suggest you go and read the the BBc news web site.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

Oh, God! "..., including plants closely related to Japanese
knotweed such as bindweeds, ...."

Which would probably put a halt to the already tricky task of growing sweet
potatoes.

David in Normandy wrote:
Let's hope it confines itself to the target weed. All too often these
introduced species prove uncontrollable and damage other "hosts".
They will have to introduce something else then to target the insect ...
and then introduce...

.... an old lady who swallowed a fly?

In article
,
Dave Hill writes
Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.


So i wonder what the contingency plans consist of?


--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

Janet Tweedy wrote:
Critics say this is not guaranteed and the bug could target other
species once released. CABI says it has contingency plans in place
just in case.
So i wonder what the contingency plans consist of?

Take off and nuke it from orbit.

echinosum wrote:
Martin Brown;879622 Wrote:
This one does seem to be very specific to Japanese knotweed. It remains

to be seen if this one parasite can do the job on its own.

Given that the insect depends upon JK and isn't extinct yet, clearly it
doesn't eradicate the plant.

I have my doubts that it will work in the absence of the other fungi
that affect the Japanese knotweed in its native habitat. It will require
a heck of a lot of sap sucking to slow something like that down.

Regards,
Martin Brown

In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-03-09 08:21:19 +0000, Gopher said:

In message , Donwill
writes
Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for
the government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two
secret sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will
eradicate JK in the UK. =-O
Don
Let's hope it confines itself to the target weed. All too often these
introduced species prove uncontrollable and damage other "hosts".

The claim is that it was carefully researched before being allowed into
the country and that it causes harm to no other wildlife. The claim
is.....
Have a beefburger - perfectly safe.
--
hugh
It may be more complicated but is it better?

In message , Janet Tweedy
wrote

So i wonder what the contingency plans consist of?


Planting more Knotweed to keep the insect population under control.

--
Alan
news2009 {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

"Donwill" wrote
Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for the
government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two secret
sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will eradicate

This video is interesting (and short)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8556551.stm

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

Bob Hobden wrote:


"Donwill" wrote
Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for
the government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two
secret sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will
eradicate

This video is interesting (and short)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8556551.stm

Interesting, and these insects seem capable of killing the plant in
certain circumstances. Lets hope they don't adapt to eat other plant
species. I wonder what is their preferred environmental habitat. Humid
or dry, high temps or low, solar radiation? They look as if they have
wing cases so air currents may assist their spread.
Don

On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:50:16 +0000, Donwill
wrote:

Bob Hobden wrote:


"Donwill" wrote
Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for
the government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two
secret sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will
eradicate

This video is interesting (and short)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8556551.stm

Interesting, and these insects seem capable of killing the plant in
certain circumstances. Lets hope they don't adapt to eat other plant
species. I wonder what is their preferred environmental habitat. Humid
or dry, high temps or low, solar radiation? They look as if they have
wing cases so air currents may assist their spread.
Don

It's not all that long since Toads were introduced into Australia
in an endeavour to get rid of an insect causing immense
damage to the sugar cane crop.

Last news I heard of the progress of the toads was that they were
taking onthe Australians themselves. In short, they had become a
virtual plague. Oops!

Jon.

Janet Tweedy wrote:

So i wonder what the contingency plans consist of?



A regiment of botanists with butterfly nets.

--
Rusty

On 10 Mar, 21:25, Rusty Hinge
wrote:
hugh wrote:
In message , Sacha
writes
On 2010-03-09 08:21:19 +0000, Gopher said:

In message , Donwill
writes
Heard on radio4 this morning that some research workers working for
the *government, have introduced an insect that feeds on JK to two
secret *sites in the UK, apparently this insect will spread and will
eradicate *JK in the UK. =-O
*Don
Let's hope it confines itself to the target weed. All too often these
introduced species prove uncontrollable and damage other "hosts".

The claim is that it was carefully researched before being allowed
into the country and that it causes harm to no other wildlife. *The
claim is.....
Have a beefburger - perfectly safe.

I have some old books which describe brown rollrim (Paxillus involutus)
as edible, though of poor quality.

Due to famine in (IIRC) Poland during the war, and a glut of those
mushrooms at the same time, loads were eaten, and there were many
deaths. The poisons were cumulative...

I even have a fairly recent book ('1960s or 1970s) which lists it as
edible. Lange ought to have known better, if I knew in 1954...

Have a mushroom?

--
Rusty- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Why can't the powers that be realise that if they broadcast a couple
of programmes giving people a range of recipes for Jap.Knotweed and
giving the health benifits etc in early spring then once people had
got the taste and found out they could get it for nothing then the
plant would die out in a couple of years.
David Hill