what is Cabi?
CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International) is a non-profit, international, intergovernmental organization providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment. CABI's mission and direction is influenced by over 40 member countries that help the activities undertaken as a business.
CABI Europe-Switzerland Center.
CABI has six overseas research Centres, one of which is located in Switzerland. The CABI Europe-Switzerland Center (CABI E-CH) has over 50 years experience in classical biological weed control, mostly for North America. Several of the emerging successes in biological control of weeds in North America are based on insects identified and studied at CABI E-CH for Dalmatian toadflax, houndstongue, purple loosestrife, leafy spurge, and knapweeds. For example, for purple loosestrife, six insect species were studied, four of which were released in North America. Successful control, i.e. more than 95% suppression of purple loosestrife biomass and permanent replacement with native wetland plants, is being achieved in the western and Midwestern U.S.
Purple loosestrife infestation in Indiana, 1998.
Purple loosestrife infestation after biocontrol
insects were released, 1999.
Current projects at our Swiss Centre explore biological control options for more than a dozen target weeds: buckthorns, common reed, common tansy, dyer's woad, garlic mustard, hawkweeds, hoary cress, oxeye daisy, perennial pepperweed, Russian knapweed, Russian olive, swallow-worts, tansy ragwort, and the toadflaxes.
CABI research scientists in Switzerland.
At our Centre in the UK, scientists are working on four North American weed species: Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, Hygrophila and wild ginger.
For the latest updates on CABI's classical biological weed program, please visit our website at www.cabi.org/projects.asp.
cabi reports
Learn about all the research on development of biocontrol insects on invasive plants in North America available from the research station at CABI in Switzerland. CABI publishes quarterly and annual reports to keep you updated. Just click on a report below for more information.
CABI Weed Biological Control Quarterly Report, 30 Sept 2008.