Summary
The rust pathogen Phakopsora arthuriana is associated with members of the genus Jatropha in their native range in the New World. This project summarizes the evaluation of this rust species as a potential biological control agent for the invasive weed bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia L.) in Australia. The project condyucted full host range testing of the rust P. arthuriana (ex Trinidad (IMI 397973) against 39 plant species in quarantine facilities at CABI-UK and conducted experiments to germinate teliospores and subsequent inoculation studies to determine the full life cycle of P. arthuriana.
There is a risk that some non-target species will become infected in the field. However, the potential extent of damage is difficult to predict.
