[MAIPC] biological control of ground ivy/ gill over the ground 2019

[Grund, Steve]

I see it pretty frequently outside of highly managed areas, mostly on floodplains, but it doesn’t really take over in my experience. Not a high priority for management at this time in my region (western Pennsylvania), but geographically and/or temporally, the situation might be different, as it often is.


Steve Grund
Botanist
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy / Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program
800 Waterfront Dr
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
(412) 586-2350



From: MAIPC [mailto:maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org] On Behalf Of Muth, Norris (MUTH)
Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2019 12:20 PM
To: maipc at lists.maipc.org
Subject: Re: [MAIPC] biological control of ground ivy/ gill over the ground 2019

Does ground ivy invade areas other than lawns and lawn-adjacent areas? I don’t mean to suggest it would be wrong to manage something like that – just genuinely curious if anyone sees it as problematic or interfering with their management goals.

—
Norris Z. Muth, Ph.D.
Juniata College
muthlab.org<http://muthlab.org/>


From: MAIPC <maipc-bounces at lists.maipc.org> on behalf of Marc Imlay <ialm at erols.com>
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2019 at 8:01 AM
To: "INVASIVES at LISTSERV.UMD.EDU" <INVASIVES at LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>, "maipc at lists.maipc.org" <maipc at lists.maipc.org>
Subject: [MAIPC] biological control of ground ivy/ gill over the ground 2019


So what is the impact of this rust on native plants?

Marc


• Biological control- A new rust fungus, Puccinia glechomatis, that attacks ground ivy has potential as a biocontrol for this invasive species. The fungus forms small tan dots on the undersides of the leaves and stems. A severe infection can cause death of a whole leaf segment or an entire stolon and all its leaves.
https://www.invasive.org/weedcd/pdfs/wow/ground-ivy.pdf

The objective of this study was to find features in microcyclic rust fungi (Uredinales) on wild host plants favorable for extension of the natural range of distribution. Puccinia glechomatis, a leptosporic rust fungus and its herbal host Glechoma hederacea (Lamiaceae), both natives to Eurasia and introduced in North America, were used for this study. Although the host has been known from North America since the beginning of the nineteenth century, the rust fungus was first observed there only in recent years. Favorable features were identified by studying the life cycle of the rust, including nuclear conditions and seasonal characteristics as well as its spread in North America. The life cycle was studied macroscopically by inoculation experiments, by various light microscope techniques, and by scanning electron microscopy. The spread of the pathogen and its host were reconstructed by evaluating host plant herbarium specimens and databases, literature, and field study data. The studies on P. glechomatis show that, generally for microcyclic rust fungi, establishment and potential for spread are based on several favorable features of both the host (e.g., synanthropic occurence and dispersal, genetic stability, regeneration of vegetative plant parts) and the rust fungus (asexual reproduction/genetic stability, homothallism, propagation with host plant, formation of both leptospores and thick-walled teliospores).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225333251_Life_cycle_and_life_strategy_features_of_Puccinia_glechomatis_Uredinales_favorable_for_extending_the_natural_range_of_distribution

There have been no biological control<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_control> agents introduced by agencies such as the USDA<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USDA> in North America to help to reduce its spread. It even appears that no research has been done on the subject of biological control agents for this plant.[2]<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea#cite_note-waggy-2> Biological control, however, is the most ecologically effective type of control for plants such as this that invade woodland<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodland> ecosystems, as it does not cause destruction of valued species, or pollution, as chemical control attempts do.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glechoma_hederacea

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