Estimating economic benefits of biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia by Ophraella communa in southeastern France

Mouttet Raphëlle, Augustinus Benno, Bonini Maria, Chauvel Bruno, Desneux Nicolas, Gachet Emmanuel, Le Bourgeois Thomas, Müller-Schärer Heinz, Thibaudon M., Schaffner Urs. 2018. Estimating economic benefits of biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia by Ophraella communa in southeastern France. Basic and Applied Ecology, 33 : 14-24.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2018.08.002

Article de revue ; Article de recherche ; Article de revue à facteur d'impact

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Quartile : Q2, Sujet : ECOLOGY

Résumé : The North American common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, which produces highly allergenic pollen, is invasive in different parts of the world, including Europe. In 2013, common ragweed in northern Italy was found attacked by another accidentally introduced species, the North American leaf beetle Ophraella communa, which is used for biological control of common ragweed in China. Since the establishment of O. communa, ragweed pollen concentrations in northern Italy have significantly dropped. Here we set out to estimate the potential economic benefits of establishment of O. communa in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France, where detailed data on the economic impact of common ragweed are available. Extrapolating from the change in airborne ragweed pollen concentrations in the Milan area, we estimated that establishment of O. communa in the Rhône-Alpes region will reduce the number of days with ragweed pollen concentrations at which sensitive people express symptoms by 50% and the medical costs due to common ragweed by 5.2–6.8 M € annually. Our findings suggest that investments of public funds are justified to conduct a complete assessment of the potential risks and benefits associated with the accidental establishment of O. communa in Europe.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : lutte biologique, mauvaise herbe, désherbage, impact économique, Ambrosia artemisiifolia, compétition des mauvaises herbes

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : France

Mots-clés complémentaires : Ophraella communa, Avantage économique

Mots-clés libres : Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Biological Control, Economics, Health

Classification Agris : H60 - Mauvaises herbes et désherbage

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 4 (2014-2018) - Santé des animaux et des plantes

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