U.S. flagAn official website of the United States government
                    Here's how you know **Official websites use .gov**
                            
                            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
 **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                            
                            A **lock** (                            
                              A locked padlock                                                      
                            
                            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 close



Research
                Research Home
                            National Programs
                            Research Projects
                            Scientific Manuscripts
                            International Engagement
                            Scientific Software/Models
                            Databases and Datasets
                            Office of Scientific Quality Review
            Media
                News & Features
                            Multimedia
                            Briefing Room
                            Down on the Farm
                            Press Room
                            Science in Your Shopping Cart
                            Scientific Discoveries
                            Tellus
                            Under the Microscope
            About ARS
                About ARS Home
                            Staff Directory
                            Labs and Research Centers (Map)
                            Headquarter Offices
                            Organizational Chart
                            Employee Services (REE Employees Only)
                            Office of Outreach, Diversity, and Equal Opportunity
            Work With Us
                Work With Us Home
                            ARS Vacancies at USAJOBS
                            Careers at ARS Information
                            Scientific Collaborations
                            Extramural Agreements
                            1890 Faculty Research Sabbatical ProgramSearch small
                    Search
            
            ARS Home
                                About ARS
                                Contact Us




ARS Home Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation OBCL Research Highlights





- About OIREC
- International Research Partnerships
- Global Food Security
- Regional Contacts
- Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation Team
- About OBCL
- OBCL Research Highlights
- Archive OBCL Research Highlights

Can Non-Target Lupines Withstand A Sea of French Broom Psyllids? French Broom PsyllidABCL StaffThe adult French Broom psyllid. (Photo by René FH Sforza) Psyllids are currently under investigation at European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) as potential biocontrol agents against French broom. Psyllids are sap-sucking insects that impact their host plants by intense feeding pressure and the production of high levels of honeydew. The honeydew covers the foliage and causes sooty mold growth. This growth may inhibit photosynthesis. Field PlotA field plot with two concentric circles lined with plant species, belonging to the lupine group, are randomly placed along the two perimeters. (Photo by René FH Sforza) Two concentric circles with a radius of five and 10 meters were constructed and plant species belonging to the lupine group randomly placed along the two perimeters in an open field test. At the center of the two circles, hundreds of psyllids of all life stages were released in spring 2021. The spread of individuals on the lupines and the French broom control plants was quantified. The data is currently in the process of being analyzed. It is important to determine whether this psyllid can naturally reach lupines from one point of release and eventually sustain a colony under realistic field conditions. Open field tests tend to be more reliable than laboratory tests conducted using cages under non-natural conditions. The psyllid and French broom are native to southern France, which provides a great opportunity to perform field work without the necessity of conducting such research in a quarantine facility. Authors: Gaylord Desurmont and René FH Sforza Contact: Michael Grodowitz *The European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) was established in 1991 near Montpellier, France. EBCL was created by the merger of the former European Parasite Laboratory, established in Paris in 1919, and the Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory in Rome. EBCL has a satellite laboratory in Thessaloniki, Greece. As the only USDA ARS-operated laboratory outside the United States, EBCL develops biological control technologies which can be used to suppress invading weeds and insect pests of Eurasian origin. EBCL researchers do this by searching for natural enemies (insects, mites, and pathogens) in their native habitat, determining their identity, testing their host specificity and potential impact in laboratory and field experiments, and shipping promising organisms to the U.S. for further testing as biological control agents. EBCL collaborates with scientists in many countries in Europe, Asia, and Africa to explore in regions of origin of the target weeds and insects.*


Return to top


Research
                            Media
                            About ARS
                            Work With Us


Connect with ARS Sign up


ARS Home
                            USDA.gov
                            Plain Writing
                            Policies & Links
                            Civil Rights Statements
                            FOIA
                            Accessibility Statement
                            Privacy Policy
                            Non-Discrimination Statement
                            Quality of Information
                            USA.gov
                            WhiteHouse.gov