_________has been successfully used to control Opuntia spp.
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The cochineal insect Dactylopius is famous for two reasons:
1. It is a highly successful biological control agent for the weed Opuntia.
2. It is the source of carmine, a tural red dye extracted from the female insects.
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Biological weed control involves using tural insect predators or pathogens to suppress invasive weed populations without using chemical herbicides. Step 2: Detailed Explation:
Prickly pear cacti (Opuntia species) were introduced to India, Australia, and other regions, where they became highly invasive, taking over vast areas of pasture and agricultural land.
One of the most successful classical biological control programs in history involved releasing cochineal scale insects to suppress these cacti.
Insects of the genus Dactylopius, specifically Dactylopius coccus (and related species like Dactylopius ceylonicus and Dactylopius opuntiae), feed selectively on the cladodes of Opuntia species.
These insects suck the sap from the plant and introduce toxins, causing the collapse and death of the cactus pads.
This biological control agent successfully reclaimed millions of acres of infested land in India and Australia.
Other options are not biological control agents for prickly pear. Step 3: Fil Answer
The insect used successfully to control Opuntia species is Dactylopius coccus.
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