Blackberry decline: a major disease of Rubus anglocandicans in south-west Australia

Rubus anglocandicans is the most common species of European blackberry in Western Australia (WA) and one of the few weeds of national significance in the south-west of WA. It is a major weed of conservation areas, forestry and agriculture. Exotic strains of the blackberry rust Phragmidium violaceum have been introduced to WA as biological control agents, but in most areas it seems that they are not effective, possibly due to climate. In 2007 while monitoring establishment of the released rust strains, unexplained dead and diseased blackberry plants were discovered at two locations, along the Warren River near Pemberton and the Donnelly River near Manjimup in the south-west of WA. The extent of the disease, with noticeable landscape changes due to the removal of dense blackberry infestations, has lead to it being called ‘blackberry decline’. The organism or organisms responsible for killing the blackberry plants are so effective that within a couple of years previously impenetrable stands of well established blackberry have been completely killed for at least several kilometres from the initial sightings of disease symptoms. We outline the history of the ‘decline’ phenomenon on blackberry in the south-west of WA and discuss some of the possible causes

Comparative costs of metal versus plastic biliary stent strategies for malignant obstructive jaundice by decision analysis

10.1016/S0016-5107(99)70044-1Gastrointestinal Endoscopy494 I466-471GAEN

The association of Phytophthora species in the blackberry (Rubus anglocandicans) decline in the South-West of Western Australia

Rubus anglocandicans is the most widespread species of European blackberry in the south-west of Western Australia (WA). This Weed of National Significance in WA primarily invades river banks in conservation, forestry and agricultural areas. Exotic strains of the blackberry rust, Phragmidium violaceum, were introduced to WA as biological control agents, but in most areas the rust was not effective. In 2007 while monitoring establishment of the released rust strains, unexplained dead and diseased blackberry plants were discovered at two locations on the banks of the Warren and Donnelly Rivers in the south-west. The extent of the disease following the removal of dense blackberry infestations has lead to it being called “blackberry decline”. Surveys between 2010 and 2012 led to the recovery of different Phytophthora species as well as other abiotic and biotic factors that appear associated with the decline. We propose a conceptual model to describe the factors that are hypothesised to be involved in the decline phenomenon of R. anglocandicans

A conceptual model to describe the decline of European blackberry (Rubus anglocandicans), a weed of national significance in Australia

Human activities have had an adverse impact on ecosystems on a global scale and have caused an unprecedented redispersal of organisms, with both plants and pathogens moving from their regions of origin to other parts of the world. Invasive plants are a potential threat to ecosystems globally, and their management costs tens of billions of dollars per annum. Rubus anglocandicans (European blackberry) is a serious invasive species in Australia. Herbicide and cultural control methods are generally inefficient or require multiple applications. Therefore, a biological control program using stem and leaf rust strains is the main option in Australia. However, biological control using rusts has been patchy, as host factors, climate, and weather can alter the impact of the rust at different locations. In 2007, Yeoh and Fontanini noticed that blackberry plants on the banks of the Donnelly and Warren rivers in the southwest of Western Australia were dying in areas that were being regularly monitored for the impact of rust as a biological control agent. The symptoms on blackberry became known as the disease “blackberry decline”. Continuous and intensive investigations are required to discover the different biotic and abiotic components associated with specific declines in plant populations. The only agent so far introduced to Australia for the biological control of blackberry is the rust Phragmidium violaceum

Whole-genome reconstruction and mutational signatures in gastric cancer

10.1186/gb-2012-13-12-r115Genome biology1312R11