E.E. Trujillo, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, UH-CTAHR
S. Ferreira, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, UH-CTAHR
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Bush lantana is a serious threat to native Hawaiian plants. The purpose of this study is to quantify lantana biomass reduction at Kokee State Forest caused by the recently introduced biocontrol fungus Septoria sp.
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Contact Dr. Eduardo Trujillo (trujillo@hawaii.edu)
Phone: 808-956-7820
Fax: 808-956-2832
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OBJECTIVES
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- Produce and distribute inoculum of Septoria sp. to different lantana infested sites at Kokee, Kauai.
- Monitor parasite-host interactions and quantitatively evaluate weed biomass reduction caused by Septoria sp. inoculations on bush lantana at selected forest sites.
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| Lantana bushes growing on a ranch in Kona |
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APPROACH
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1) Pathogen will be mass-produced on solid medium consisting of 100 g/liter of Gerber Mixed Cereal for Baby, and 18 g/liter of Difco agar. Microcyclic conidiation will be induced by evenly distributing 0.7 ml of 1 X 106 solution of colony forming units (CFU) of the pathogen on the surface of the medium and incubation at 25C for 2 weeks. Harvested spores will be suspended in 2% sucrose 0.5% gelatin solution at 1 X 106 CFU/ml and hand sprayed on the underside of bush lantana leaves. Lesion counts/leaf and detection of pycnidia of the pathogen will serve to monitor disease. 2) The reference marker-photopoint system of Case et. al. will be used to monitor sites. Color photographs will be taken at time of inoculation and at 3-month intervals thereafter for 2 years. Each site will be monitored from 5 photopoint-markers. Data will be quantified and analyzed statistically by one way analysis of variance and treatment means will be compared by LSD (T) test.
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