A tiny insect could be an effective and environment-friendly weapon against a damaging and costly invasive non-native plant - Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica), scientists have said.
Japanese knotweed can grow more than a metre a month and is famed for pushing through tarmac, concrete and drains. Its effect on native species is often devastating as it out-competes indigenous species covering large tracts of land to the exclusion of the native flora and associated fauna.
The government is considering an application for a licence to release the psyllid to attack the plant to reduce its vigour, thus reducing the use of chemicals and the costs of control including weedkillers and physical removal.
The cost of eradication nationally using conventional methods was estimated at £1.56 billion in 2003.
Japanese Knotweed has spread across Britain since being introduced as an ornamental plant in the early nineteenth century and costs the country millions of pounds in repairs to buildings, roads and railway lines.
It is expected that the psyllid would be released and monitored at a small number of sites initially, followed by wider release in England and Wales.
Five-years’ research by scientists at CABI has shown that Aphalara itadori is the best candidate to help control Japanese knotweed in Britain. The findings suggest that only a few closely-related non-native knotweeds are potential hosts in Britain.
To find out more go to www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/japanese-knotweed/index.htm
