Acknowledgement

The research on the candidate biocontrol agents for wandering trad, the fungus Kordyana brasiliensis and the leaf beetle Neolema ogloblini, performed in quarantine facilities in Australia was supported by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Research/Science Programme administered by the Department of the Environment and Energy. CSIRO and Agriculture Victoria (Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions) led the research on K. brasiliensis and N. ogloblini, respectively. Thanks to Mr Greg Lefoe and Dr Raelene Kwong (Agriculture Victoria) for their contributions.

Thanks to all collaborators who kindly made collections of wandering trad accessions in Australia and some of the non-target plant species included in the risk assessment of the candidate biocontrol agents. Thanks are also extended to our research collaborators at Landcare Research, New Zealand (Simon Fowler, Quentin Paynter, Chantal Probst and Lynley Hayes), Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil (Robert Barreto and Davi Mesquita de Macedo), University of Adelaide (John Conran).

The release and monitoring of the approved biocontrol agent, K. brasiliensis, in the Dandenong Ranges region of Victoria from 2019-2020 were part of a broader project seeking biological solutions for sustainable management of environmental weeds, which also included Cape ivy (Delairea odorata) and angled onion (Allium triquetrum). This project was co-funded by CSIRO and the Australian Government under the Improving Your Local Parks and Environment Program administered by the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science, and supported by the Community Weeds Alliance of the Dandenongs.

The releases and monitoring of K. brasiliensis in New South Wales (2020-2023) are co-funded by CSIRO and the New South Wales Government through its Environmental Trust.