Weeds are a major constraint to agricultural production, particularly in the developing world, and are also the cause of major losses of forestry and aquatic resources. Biological control with arthropods can be a cost-efficient and self-sustaining means to reduce this problem, and may produce fewer non-target effects than chemical methods. This book covers the biological control using arthropods of 20 invasive weeds occurring in tropical, temperate and aquatic habitats. Separate chapters focus on each weed and describe the origin, distribution and management, and biological control using one or more arthropods is discussed. The authors provide a useful historical perspective on this subject and highlight many of the issues. The aim of the book is to provide ecological management models for application in the tropical world, and to assist in the assessment of potential risks to native and economic plants.

The choice of species and the references cited draw on studies in a wide range of countries across the tropical world. In the first chapter, the editors briefly outline some issues including technology transfer, economics and sustainability. They point out that for six of the 20 model species, there are conflicts of interest between those that derive some benefit from a species and those that want the weed controlled. The importance of concerted action is illustrated with the examples of the eradication of Mikania and Chromolaena in Australia in contrast to the less successful initiatives against Parthenium in India.

Chapters covering Azolla, Cabomba, Eichhornia, Pistia and Salvinia give comprehensive coverage of the activities that have targeted these aquatic weeds, and these comprise some of the most successful biological control initiatives. Trees and shrubs included comprise: Acacia nilotica, Ageratina adenophora, Australian Acacias, Chromolaena odorata, Clidemia hirta, Lantana camara, Mimosa diplotricha, Mimosa pigra, Cactaceae, Prosopis and Solanum mauritianum. Cactaceae contains at least 49 species considered invasive outside their natural ranges and 23 of these have been targeted with 19 species of mites and insects deployed in biological control efforts that began over 200 years ago. With no species native outside the Americas, with one exception, Cactaceae have generally been easier to control than other taxa. The ‘astonishing destruction’ of prickly pear (Opuntia spp.) in India and Sri Lanka led to the cochineal insects being introduced to Australia and South Africa, and this provides an early example of sustainable biological control measures using arthropods. The vines, Coccinea grandis and Passiflora tripartite, and the parasitic weeds, Striga spp., complete the species coverage within individual chapters.

The book concludes with three chapters that describe the biological control activities that have been undertaken in India, by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). These contain references to the biological control of many species in addition to those mentioned above, but also describe the implementation of biological control programmes in their respective areas. A number of authors point out the considerable gaps in our knowledge on the application of biological control and, for instance, the lack of data on the environmental and economic impact of weeds.

As might be expected with 38 contributing authors, there are inconsistencies with how information on the weeds and arthropods is presented in the different chapters, and in the extent to which information is synthesized and conclusions drawn. Further, as a function of how intensive the studies of biological control on certain weeds have been, some chapters contain considerably more information on the biological control agents, management and distribution than others. This does not however unduly detract from the utility of the text. The book is a good source of information supported by 1700 references, supplemented with figures, and it is well indexed. The text is a valuable resource for scientists and policy makers concerned with the biological control of invasive tropical plants.