We conducted a risk analysis for the release of the rust fungus Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) for the biological control of flaxleaf fleabane (Conyza bonariensis).
We conducted the risk analysis in two key steps:
- Released the draft report of the risk analysis for the release of Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) for the biological control of Conyza bonariensis on 1 April 2021, via Biosecurity Advice 2021/P05 for a 30-day consultation period, closing on 1 May 2021.
- Released the final report of the risk analysis in June 2021, following consideration of stakeholder submissions.
The final report recommends that the release of P. cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) be permitted, subject to standard quarantine conditions associated with the import and release of exotic biological control agents.
The final report has determined the overall risk associated with the release of P. cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) to be Negligible. A risk estimate of Negligible achieves Australia’s appropriate level of protection (ALOP).
The assessment of risk to off-target plants included consideration of the testing methodology used and the plant species test list, including non-target species tested in described experiments. The biology of P. cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) was also considered.
Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) has been satisfactorily demonstrated to be highly host specific to C. bonariensis. One non-target test plant species, Eschenbachia leucantha was ranked as ‘Moderately Susceptible’ as P. cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) was able to produce telia during testing, although these were abnormal and resulted in a very limited infection on the target weed. The agent was unable to successfully complete its lifecycle and cause disease on any other non-target plants tested.
The final report also contains details of the risk assessment process used for consideration of potential off-target effects associated with the proposed release of P. cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza).
The application from CSIRO was included as an attachment to the final report.
Application for the release of Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) for the biological control of Conyza bonariensis
This risk analysis assesses the application made by CSIRO to release the rust fungus Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) to control flaxleaf fleabane (Conyza bonariensis) in Australia.
The published application report may not meet Australian Government accessibility guidelines as it has not been prepared by the department.
Download application
| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Application for the release of Puccinia cnici-oleracei (ex. Conyza) for the biological control of Conyza bonariensis PDF  |
59 | 2.4 MB |
Download final report
Download draft report
If you have difficulty accessing these files, visit web accessibility for assistance.
Next steps
Publication of the final risk analysis report represents the end of the risk analysis. If we approve release of the biological control agent, a letter will be sent to the applicant providing conditions of release.
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Contact us
For more information, email imports or phone 1800 900 090 (option 1, option 1).