Parthenium can be controlled by using bio-agents like:

Correct option is D

✔️ Correct Answer: (d) Zygogramma bicolorata
· Parthenium hysterophorus (commonly known as Congress grass) is a highly invasive weed that affects crops, ecosystems, and animal health.
· Zygogramma bicolorata, a Mexican beetle, is a host-specific bio-control agent used effectively to control the spread of Parthenium in India and several other countries.
· It feeds on the leaves, flowers, and stems of the weed, significantly reducing its growth and seed production.
· This method of classical biological control is widely recommended by ICAR and agricultural universities.
❌ (A) Cactoblastis cactorum: Used for controlling Opuntia (prickly pear cactus), not Parthenium. ❌ (B) Ophiomyia lantanae: Used against Lantana camara, a different weed. ❌ (C) Solvenia molesta: (Correct spelling: Salvinia molesta) — an aquatic weed, controlled using the beetle Cyrtobagous salviniae.