[Ecological adaptability and application safety of Epiblema strenuana as a biocontrol agent against ragweed]

Epiblema strenuana is the most important natural enemy against Ambrosia artemisiifolia, A. trifida and Parthenium hysterophorus. In this paper, its ecological adaptability and application risk as a biological agent against ragweed was analyzed and reviewed. Epiblema strenuana had a restrict host specificity, with all the field hosts belonging to Ambrosinae, and its selective risk on sunflower and chrysanthemum was less than 0.01 or/and zero (no risk). 15-35 degrees C was the suitable temperature regimes for E. strenuana to develop, and lower constraint temperature could reach -8(-)-12 degrees C. The population size of this insect could increase 23 and 4 times on A. artemisiifolia, A. trifida and Xanthium sibiricum after each generation, respectively. In the field, the infected plants had an average of 20-30 galls per plant, and died with 5.2 and 26 galls before and after rosette stage. The spread distance of this moth within 12 months after release was more than 100 km. It indicated that E. strenuana was an effective and safe agent for cereal and economic crops, ornamental plants, and indigenous natural enemy in the introduced region.