Abstract Tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum Dunal) (Solanaceae) is a small shrub native to South America that is invasive in pastures and conservation areas across Florida. Dense patches of tropical soda apple not only reduce cattle stocking rates and limit their movement, but also serve as reservoirs for pests of solanaceous crops. A classical biological control program was initiated in 1994 with exploration for natural enemies of tropical soda apple in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Host specificity tests conducted under laboratory and field conditions demonstrated that the leaf feeding beetle Gratiana boliviana Dunal (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was a specialist herbivore that completes development only on the target weed. After obtaining appropriate permits, field releases of G. boliviana were initiated in Florida in May of 2003. Larvae and adults of G. boliviana feed on tropical soda apple leaves and may completely defoliate their host plants, resulting in reduced growth and fruit production. Mass rearing facilities for the beetle were established in northern, central and southern Florida, and adults were either hand-carried or transported to release sites by overnight courier. From 2003 to 2011, a total of 250,723 beetles were released and they became established throughout Florida, however, their impact is more noticeable in regions below latitude 29 °N. Reductions of tropical soda apple densities caused by damage by the beetle were visible 2-3 yr after initial release, or in some cases, within a few months. Various methods of technology transfer were used to inform the public, land owners, funding agencies and scientists about the biological control program, including articles in trade magazines, extension publications, websites, videos, field days and scientific publications. The project was successful because of the coordinated efforts of personnel from federal, state and county agencies.

Tropical soda apple (Solanum viarum Dunal) (Solanaceae) is a small shrub native to South America that is invasive in pastures and conservation areas across Florida. Dense patches of tropical soda apple not only reduce cattle stocking rates and limit their movement, but also serve as reservoirs for pests of solanaceous crops. A classical biological control program was initiated in 1994 with exploration for natural enemies of tropical soda apple in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Host specificity tests conducted under laboratory and field conditions demonstrated that the leaf feeding beetle Gratiana boliviana Dunal (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was a specialist herbivore that completes development only on the target weed. After obtaining appropriate permits, field releases of G. boliviana were initiated in Florida in May of 2003. Larvae and adults of G. boliviana feed on tropical soda apple leaves and may completely defoliate their host plants, resulting in reduced growth and fruit production. Mass rearing facilities for the beetle were established in northern, central and southern Florida, and adults were either hand-carried or transported to release sites by overnight courier. From 2003 to 2011, a total of 250,723 beetles were released and they became established throughout Florida, however, their impact is more noticeable in regions below latitude 29 degrees N. Reductions of tropical soda apple densities caused by damage by the beetle were visible 2-3 yr after initial release, or in some cases, within a few months. Various methods of technology transfer were used to inform the public, land owners, funding agencies and scientists about the biological control program, including articles in trade magazines, extension publications, websites, videos, field days and scientific publications. The project was successful because of the coordinated efforts of personnel from federal, state and county agencies.

This leaf feeding beetle was recently introduced into Florida from China for biological control of air potato. This 4-page fact sheet provides information on the distribution, appearance, life cycle, host range and importance of the beetle. Written by Rodrigo Diaz, William A. Overholt, and Ken Hibbard, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, January 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in972

ed States (Mullahey 1996). In pastures, tropical soda apple competes with forages resulting in re duced stocking rates (Mullahey et al. 1998). Flor ida ranchers spent an average of $44 per acre on chemical and mechanical control costs on tropical soda apple in 2006 (Thomas 2007). Additionally, this plant is an alternate host of several diseases of solanaceous crops (McGovern et al. 1994; Ad kins et al. 2007). herbivores and predators included hand catching, aspiration, rearing, and the use of beating cloths. Lepidopteran larvae found feeding on tropical soda apple were reared in the laboratory until adult emergence and then identified. Parasitoids were reared from G. boliviana pupae, and field observations of predation were made. Entomo pathogens of G. boliviana were identified using light microscopy by Dr. Drion Boucias at the Uni versity of Florida, and arthropods were identified by personnel at the Florida Department of Agri culture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry (DPI), Gainesville, Florida, and the Sys tematic Entomology Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland. All arthropods collected from tropical soda apple from 1994 to 2011 are included in the DPI data base. A biological control program of tropical soda apple was initiated in 1994, and several natural enemies were collected in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay (Medal et al. 1996), including Gratiana boliviana Spaeth (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). This host specific beetle was first released into Florida in May 2003, and by 2008 approximately 180,000 beetles had been released (Overholt et al. 2009). Experiments conducted in central Florida demonstrated that beetle populations increased during the summer and remained very low during the coldest months of the year from Dec to mid Mar (Overholt et al. 2010). Beetle populations were more abundant on plants located in open pastures compared to those in shaded hammocks (Diaz et al. 2011). In a four-year study, Overholt et al. (2010) demonstrated that tropical soda ap ple densities decreased by 90% two yr after beetle release. Survival from egg to adult in closed cages was 51% compared to 15% in open cages (Man rique et al. 2011), thus revealing the impact of bi otic factors on G. boliviana populations. Because of the presence in Florida of many solanaceous plants, we inventoried the herbivores associated with tropical soda apple with the hypothesis that many would expand their host ranges to include the novel resource. Additionally, because of the importance of G. boliviana as a biological control agent of tropical soda apple, we inventoried its natural enemies in Florida. A total of seven mite species and 75 species of insect herbivores were collected from tropical so da apple in Florida (Table 1). The host specificity of these species ranged from Solarium specialists to generalists and included major pests of agri cultural crops as well as ornamental plants. The high diversity of insect herbivores found in this study is explained in part by the presence of close tropical soda apple relatives in Florida, including 27 species in the genus Solanum and 31 species in other genera of Solanaceae (Wunderlin & Han sen 2008). Based on field observations, tropical soda apple is an attractive host for many agricul turally important insect pests such as Leptino tarsa decimlineata (Say) and L. juncta (Germar) (Chrysomelidae), Manduca sexta L. (Sphingidae), Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Aleyrodidae), Aphis gossypii Glover (Aphididae) and Lineodes integra Zeller (Pyralidae) (Table 1), and therefore may serve as a reservoir on which pest populations may increase before moving into crops. A total of one mite species, 19 species of spiders and 30 species of predatory insects were found on tropical soda apple (Table 2). Predators observed feeding on G. boliviana larvae and pupae in cluded Geocoris punctipes (Say) (Lygaidae), Sinea sp. (Reduviidae), Perillis bioculatus (Fabricius), Stiretrus anchorago (Fabricius) (Pentatomidae), Tupiocoris notatus (Distant) (Miridae), Solenopsis invicta Buren (Formicidae), and the spider Peuce tia viridans (Hentz) (Oxyopidae). The mirid spe cies found in this study are facultative predators, Arthropods were collected from 2004 to 2011 at two G. boliviana mass rearing facilities in Fort Pierce, Florida and from several natural infesta tions on ranches or conservation areas in central and south Florida. Collection methods for insect

Foreign exploration to search for natural enemies of the invasive plant tropical soda apple, Solarium viarum Dunal (Solanaceae) were conducted initially in 1994 by University of Florida researchers in collaboration with Universidade Estadual Paulista, Jaboticabal campus, Brazil. Sixteen species of insects were found associated with tropical soda apple in Brazil and Paraguay (Medal et al. 1996). A biological control program was initiated by the University of Florida in 1997 with funds provided by the United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, and the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. Explorations in the place of origin (southern Brazil, northeast Argentina, south Paraguay, and Uruguay) of the target weed were conducted in collaboration with Brazilian university researchers, and the USDAAgriculture Research Service Biological Control Laboratory in Hurlingham, Argentina. During exploratory surveys, the leaf beetle Gratiana boliviana Spaeth (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) was found on tropical soda apple plants in southern Brazil. A high level of specificity and significant defoliation of tropical soda apple were demonstrated in host-specificity tests conducted at the Florida Biological Control Laboratory quarantine facilities in Gainesville, the USDA-ARS (Agriculture Research Service) South American Biological Control Laboratory in Argentina, and the USDAARS quarantine facilities in Stoneville, Mississippi, as well as in extensive field surveys and open-field tests conducted in South America. After five years of intensive plant feeding and oviposition tests, the South-American leaf beetle G.boliviana was the first biological control agent approved for field release (7 May 2003) by the USDA-APHIS-PPQ in the southeastern United States to join the battle against tropical soda apple also known by the nickname the 'plant from heir (Coile 1993). This exotic weed has invaded over half a million hectares of grasslands and natural areas in at least 6 states (Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas). Intensive host-specificity tests including 126 plant species in 35 families were conducted with G. boliviana from 1998 to 2001 (Medal et al. 2002, 2003, 2004). Initial releases of G boliviana in Florida began in summer 2003, and currently approximately 200,000 G. boliviana immature and adults have been released in 37 Florida counties, 14,000 in 2 counties in Georgia, 18,000 in 3 counties in Alabama, and 825 in 1 county in Texas. In th s article we report the establishment, post-release monitoring, and initial impacts of G. boliviana on tropical soda apple plants in Sumter County, Florida. A field release of G. boliviana was made in a

ABSTRACT From 2003 to 2008, 176,643 Gratiana boliviana, Spaeth (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) were released in Florida as part of a biological control program targeting tropical soda apple (TSA) Solarium viarum Dunal (Solanaceae). The spatial distribution of releases was clustered with more beetles released in south/central Florida than further north. A survey conducted in the fall of 2008 found G. bolviana present at >70% of randomly selected locations between 26° and 29° latitude, but no beetles were found at sites further north. The presence of beetles and beetle damage were associated with smaller TSA plants and fewer fruits per plant. The absence of beetles in northern Florida may be due to the fewer number released in that area, but also could be influenced by land cover and climate.

Solanum viarum Dunal (Solanaceae) is an invasive perennial shrub in southeastern USA. Native to South America, it was first found in Florida in 1988, and it has already invaded more than 400,000 ha of grasslands and conservation areas in 11 states. Currently recommended control tactics for this weed in pastures are based on herbicide applications combined with mechanical (mowing) practices. These control tactics provide a temporary solution and can cost as much as $188/ha for dense infestations of the weed. A biological control project against S. viarum was initiated in 1997. After 3 years of intensive host-specificity testing, the South American leaf beetle Gratiana boliviana was approved for field release by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)-Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) in 2003, and its release in Florida began in summer 2003. Up to now, approximately 120,000 beetles have been released in 25 counties in Florida. The beetles established at virtually all the release sites in Florida. Beetle dispersal has been based on plant availability with annual dispersal from 1.6 to 16 km/year from the release sites. Initial impacts of the beetles range from 30% to 100% plant defoliation. The fruit production declined from 40 to 55 fruits per plant in summer 2003, when beetles were released, to zero or a few deformed fruits (one to four per plant) 2 years post release in five of the release sites monitored. Mass rearing, field release and post-release evaluation of G. boliviana and the target plant will continue during 2008.