IMPACT OF ROOT MINING BY ETEOBALEA SPP ON CLONAL GROWTH AND SEXUAL REPRODUCTION OF COMMON TOADFLAX, LINARIA-VULGARIS MILL

Experiments with potted plants of the weed Linaria vulgaris Mill. (Scr ophulariaceae) were carried out to evaluate the effects of root mining by Eteobalea (syn. Stagmatophora) spp. (Lep. Cosmopterigidae). Attack ed plants had a shorter flowering season and produced seeds of lower w eight. Continuous mining during winter resulted in a doubling of the n umber of stems in spring, but the total plant biomass remained unaffec ted. This may have been caused by disrupted apical dominance due to ro ot-crown damage. The observed effects are expected to complement those of other agents used in the biological control of L. vulgaris in Nort h America.