Horticulture 2: Invasive Plant Management and Biological Controls

Flashcards covering the final lecture topics including invasive plant management strategies, IPM thresholds, seed regulations, and various biological control methods.

Multi-pronged approach

A continual management strategy for invasive populations that involves combining different methods such as prevention and control rather than relying on a single decision.

Edge habitats

Locations near woodland edges where invasive plants often get a foothold and spread into adjacent home lawns and landscapes.

Garlic mustard

An invasive plant commonly found near woodland open canopy edges that requires active management to prevent spread into managed landscapes.

Spotted lanternfly

An invasive insect that has become a recurring problem each year, though it is currently noted to be less damaging than previously anticipated.

Thresholds (IPM)

The point at which a population of invasive plants is high enough that desirable ornamental plants begin to suffer.

Critical period

A concept borrowed from agriculture referring to the specific time after sowing when weed management is most vital to protect crop yield or young plant establishment.

Disturbance

Changes to the environment such as digging soil or cultivating that create a vulnerable environment for invasive plants to get established.

Quarantines

Regulations implemented to isolate the spread of invasive species by prohibiting the movement of potentially contaminated materials in and out of a specified area.

Asian longhorned beetle

An invasive insect found on Long Island that bores into and kills trees, leading to the establishment of quarantine zones.

Witchweed

An incredibly aggressive agricultural weed in the Carolinas that produces approximately $500,000$ tiny seeds per plant.

Seed laws

Federal and state regulations designed to protect consumers and the environment by ensuring the quality, purity, and germination rates of seeds while limiting the spread of weedy species.

Noxious

A term describing weeds that are particularly harmful, poisonous, or unpleasant.

Vegetative propagules

Specialized stems such as rhizomes, stolons, tubers, and bulbs that allow perennial weeds to reproduce and spread even when dug up or cultivated.

Plasticity

The ability of weeds to adapt to management systems, such as growing and flowering at much shorter heights to survive frequent mowing.

Poa annua

A problematic winter annual weed known for its ability to flower and produce seed at fractions of an inch height of cut.

Biological control (Biocontrol)

The use of one species' activity to reduce the negative effects or population levels of another pest or invasive species.

Classical approach (Biocontrol)

Also known as the inoculative or importation approach; it involves introducing a natural enemy to an area and allowing it to reproduce and feed on an invasive population.

Inundative approach

A biocontrol method typically used in controlled environments like greenhouses involving the concentrated delivery of organisms to overrun a pest population.

Grazing animals

A form of biological control using animals like goats or wild ponies to selectively feed on and manage invasive plant populations in challenging landscapes.

LISMA

The Long Island Invasive Species Management Area, an organization dedicated to identifying and managing invasive species on Long Island ($\text{lisma.org}$).

LINPI

The Long Island Native Plant Initiative, which focuses on maintaining, propagating, and planting native species.

Natural enemies

Beneficial organisms such as lady beetles, lacewings, and parasitic wasps that exist naturally in the landscape and help keep pests in check.

Season-long blooms

A landscape design practice that provides continuous forage and habitat for beneficial insects and pollinators throughout the year.

Hairy Bittercress

A winter annual weed that has become significantly more prevalent over the last $5$ to $10$ years.

Lesser Celandine

An annual garden weed that is difficult to manage because it produces seeds and vegetative structures that persist into the following year.