A recent study led by Marsha Bowers (Caribbean Institute for Health Research, Epidemiology Research Unit, The University of the West Indies, Mona) and co-authored by Dr. Dwight Robinson (Head, Department of Life Sciences, The UWI Mona) and Dr. Jane Cohen (Plant Physiologist) and collaborators explored the potential of using Jamaican flies as a biological control method to manage the invasive plant species Chromolaena odorata (C. odorata), commonly known as Bitter bush, Christmas bush or Jack in the bush in Jamaica.

C. odorata is believed to have been introduced into South Africa from either Cuba or Jamaica and is a major invasive plant species negatively affecting forest ecosystems in that country. The plant does not create such a problem in the Caribbean, as there are several organisms that limit the plants growth and ability to outcompete other plants. In order to prevent the plants from outcompeting native plants in South Africa, the authorities in South Africa investigated the potential of biological control agents of C. odorata in Florida, Cuba and Jamaica, for use in a biological control programme to suppress the growth of C. odorata in South Africa. One of these biological control agents is the fly Melanagromyza eupatoriella (Diptera: Agromyzidae), whose larvae form helical mines in growing vegetative stem tips of C. odorata, causing the tips to wilt and die, thus limiting the growth potential of the plant.

While the potential of M. eupatoriella to suppress the growth of the plant in South Africa seemed promising, there was a need to ensure that if introduced into South Africa, it would not affect other species of plants that are native to South Africa. It was therefore necessary to determine if other species of plants belonging to the Family Asteraceae, to which Chromolaena odorata belongs, are also hosts of M. eupatoriella. This would be necessary to ensure that the introduction of M. eupatoriella into South Africa would not result in it negatively impacting the growth of native Asteraceae species in South Africa. The research published in this paper examined helical shoot-tip mines on three genera of Asteraceae in Jamaica that were caused by different species of Melanagromyza as part of a process to determine the host-range of M. eupatoriella as a precursor for any consideration to it being introduced into South Africa. Dr. Dwight Robinson and Jane Cohen.

Reference: Marsha A. Bowers, Costas Zachariades, Dwight E. Robinson, Jane E. Cohen, Michael von Tschirnhaus and Osariyekemwen Uyie (2023). Helical shoot-tip mines on three genera of Asteraceae in Jamaica are caused by different species of Melanagromyza – implications for the biological control of Chromolaena odorata using Melanagromyza eupatoriella. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2023.105151.

Photo caption: Top Row: Dwight Robinson (Head, Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, Mona), Jane Cohen (Plant Physiologist), Marsha Bowers (Caribbean Institute for Health Research, Epidemiology Research Unit, The University of the West Indies, Mona): Bottom Row: Costa Zachariacles (School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa); Michael Von Tschirnhaus (Fakultaet Biologie, Universitaet Bielefeld, Postfach, Germany), Osariyekemwen Uyie (Department of Animal and Environmental Biology, University of Benin, Nigeria).

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