A review of the biology, distribution, and management challenges posed by the invasive weed Ziziphus mauritiana L., with special reference to its invasion in Australia

Ziziphus mauritiana is an economically detrimental and environmentally destructive plant in non-native areas where it has escaped cultivation. It forms dense, impenetrable thickets that restrict the movement of livestock across the landscape and has the capacity to alter various ecological functions at the site of invasion, all of which contribute towards land degradation and the reduction of economic profitability. Although there are several management strategies implemented to control Z. mauritiana, it is clear that no single-method approach will effectively control the species in the long-term. Whilst chemical and mechanical methods appear to show promising results, they tend to be restricted to areas that are easily accessible and, even so, can be challenging and laborious to treat evenly across dense thicket areas. Several prospective biological control agents have been identified for Z. mauritiana, although further investigations are required to ascertain the host specificity, and to explore and identify their climatic and environmental suitability of host specific agents for release in non-native regions. Ecological burning alone is not effective in controlling Z. mauritiana and will likely increase its emergence. As such, it could be adopted as part of an integrated management approach to assist other methods for long-term control, but again the development of such an approach requires further investigation. To contribute towards the control of Z. mauritiana, this review explores its biology, distribution and management challenges whilst identifying areas of research that will assist in the long-term and confident control of the species, with an emphasis on its invasion in Australia.