Field-collected Plant
Material and Associated Organisms
Developing a herbivore profile for a weed
Prior to release of exotic agents it is most important to document the indigenous herbivores that feed on weeds. This enables plant damage to be associated with species already present, to measure their impact before liberation of exotic agents, and to avoid attributing damage by indigenous species to exotic agents after their release
(See Evaluation).
The accession register
Whenever plant material is collected from the field a record should be made in an accession register.
The best method consists of using a lettering system followed by numerals as follows:
 |
The Accession Reference Number:
 | Use two appropriate letters to represent each different locality; |
| Use numbers to represent different sites, or plant species, or dates of collection. |
|
The accession register provides a record for all collections of plant specimens from the field, associated insects, fungi and other organisms, with a cross reference to specimens (e.g. vouchers) and any other information relating to a plant specimen. The accession number can easily be attached to insect specimens while they await formal
labelling.
Examples:
| MC 44 represents Mt Coot-tha, 18 April 1993, collected by D.P.A. Sands,
specimen of
Stephania japonica on which larvae of Eudocima salaminia were present.
|
| MC 45 represents same locality, date and collector but the plant was Sarcopetalum harveyanum with no insects present.
|
| MC 46 was the same as MC 44 but collected 5 days later. |
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Don Sands |
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