2. WHY AGRONOMISTS SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT INVASIVE PLANTS Mark J. Renz Associate Professor Extension Weed Specialist

3. Outline What is an invasive plant and how are they regulated in WI? What are the potential impacts to agriculture? Things you can do to help

4. What is an invasive species? NR 40, WI-DNR (2009): A nonnative species including hybrids, cultivars, subspecific taxa, and genetically modified variants whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health” 75 plants are regulated – 27 prohibited, 36 restricted, 12 split http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/nr/001/40.pdf

5. DNR assessed positive/negative attributes of non-native species This is what was done in making NR-40 rule – Look under literature summary in DNR website Research/summarized known information Involved stakeholders in the process – Results were from a statewide perspective

6. Difference between prohibited and restricted species Example of Prohibited KudzuWild Parsnip Example of Restricted

7. Many regulated terrestrial plants are/can impact agriculture #Present in WI Invades ag lands Examples Prohibited1850 %28%yellow star thistle Split listed12100%67%poison hemlock Restricted32100%63%Canada thistle TOTAL6285%52%

8. Economic Impacts From Invasive Plants Livestock performance reduced/death – Poison hemlock – Yellow star thistle Yield reduced – Canada thistle – Buckthorn/honeysuckle Costs to manage crop increase – Direct: Canada thistle – Indirect: Soybean aphid that overwinters on buckthorn

9. Environmental and human health Impacts From Invasive Plants Environmental – Soil erosion increased due to displacement of grasses from spotted knapweed Human health – Japanese barberry increases ticks /lyme disease – Wild Parsnip: Phyto-photo-sensitivity – Bush honeysuckle increase lone-star tick and associated diseases

10. How to prevent/minimize impact? 1.Prevent invasions from establishing – National and statewide efforts 2.Detect invasions early and eradicate (EDRR) – Local efforts work best Most effective and efficient method of control Cooperative efforts already in place at local level – Allow for sharing of resources (CISMA=CWMA)

11. An example of why early detection is important! Amur honeysuckle invasion After 10 years of invasion, reductions in in forest herb regeneration can be observed After 20 years of invasion many native plants seeds are not present in the soil – irreversible change Image courtesy of missouriplants.com

12. Case Study #1 Poison Hemlock Invades roadside ditches, pastures, and waterways White flowers up to 10’ tall Stem have reddish- purple splotches Spreading via roads in southern WI Less than a pound ingested is toxic

13. Case Study #2 Spotted knapweed grows 2–4’ tall showy pink to purple flower from one or multiple stems. Displaces desirable grasses and forbs. fields infested have – > 2X the water runoff – 4X more sediment removal

14. Case Study #3 Common Buckthorn Understory shrub or small tree 10–25’ tall. – yellow/orange colored wood if cut – earliest shrub to leaf-out in the spring and last to lose its leaves in the fall. Primary overwintering location for the soybean aphid. – $$$ to control infestations and prevent yield loss

15. Relationship between buckthorn infestation and acres sprayed? Heimpel et al. 2010

16. Case Study #4 Kudzu Bug Non-native insect to US – Not present in WI – Discovered in US in 2009 – Rapidly spreading north – Uses Kudzu as a primary overwintering site Feeds on soybeans – In SE US, average yield loss from untreated fields 20% – Can be managed with insecticides ($)

18. Potential Kudzu Bug Impact Impact in south is 10-30% yield loss Wisconsin has 1.5 million acres of soybeans – 2013 60 million bushels = $ 725,000,000 If 10% yield reduction in Wisconsin – $72.5 Million Dollar loss If treated ½ fields ($20/A) – $15 Million Dollar cost

19. Case Study #5 Japanese Barberry Common ornamental shrub – typically 2-3’ tall – Branches are reddish-brown and deeply grooved, with a single sharp spine at each node It invades forests, changing factors related to forest regeneration and health Provides ideal habitat for deer ticks – involved in the continued spread of Lyme disease

20. Forest in the Wisconsin Dells

21. Summary Many other examples than these – Many serve as alternate hosts for diseases Vegetable industry Often the impact is unknown at the time of introduction If these new plants have no value is it worth the risk to allow them to persist?

22. Resources to Assist in ID and Control http://fyi.uwex.edu/weedsci/ – 36 factsheets ID and control – 18 YouTube videos on ID (regulated species) – http://weedid/wisc.edu = >300 species ID http://weedid/wisc.edu – http://mipncontroldatabase.wisc.edu http://mipncontroldatabase.wisc.edu

23. How can you help? Goal is to prevent spread of plants Most effective way is to detect plants early and eradicate before they become widespread – Knowledge of new infestations is most often the limiting factor – Limited funding may be available to assist with management for PROHIBITED SPECIES

24. Report new infestations Several options on how to report 1.Contact me, DNR staff, county agent 2.Submit observation via the Great Lakes Early Detection Network 1.Online through website www.gledn.orgwww.gledn.org 2.Mobile App To download go to http://apps.bugwood.org/mobile/gledn.html http://apps.bugwood.org/mobile/gledn.html

26. Simple Report Form

27. Functional on apple/android Smartphones tablets Report across taxa Terrestrial and Aquatic Plants Insects Plant Pathogens Aquatic Invertebrates Fish Animals Fish and Animal Diseases http://apps.bugwood.org/mobile/gledn.html Details of App

28. Add a picture GPS location Time spent monitoring Infestation information/notes Can make an observation < 1 min

30. For a video tutorial see or contact me for the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzTjEM0 F6C0&index=2&list=PLLq7T9GBdf8wbGakjYDc 7tYgrJ8x8HKgi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzTjEM0 F6C0&index=2&list=PLLq7T9GBdf8wbGakjYDc 7tYgrJ8x8HKgi 5 minutes long – Intro to Downloading the App How to register How to submit an observation How to draw a polygon

31. What happens when a report is submitted? Verified – Picture, visit Shared with the public – Alert will be sent out to concerned land managers Available for research and outreach – Updating regulations towards species – Predicting future spread of species – Motivate local groups to take action to control new populations

32. Summary Invasive plants can impact agriculture! The most effective way to manage invasive plants is through – Prevention – Early detection and eradication Reporting new infestations can help prevent many of these impacts – Resources to assist in reporting

33. Thank you! Questions? mrenz@wisc.edu mrenz@wisc.edu

34. NR 40 is being revised Proposed revisions: – Delisting 2 species (0 plants) – Changing the regulated status of 6 species (2 plants) – Listing 83 new species 49 prohibited (41 plants, 19 aquatic) 32 restricted (29 plants, 3 aquatic) 2 plants split-listed