FAIR-CT96-1792 Improving protection and resistance of forests to the spruce aphid

Contacts




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Biotechnology : FAIR Area 4.5 - Multifunctional Management of Forests : Fibre : Forestry : Integrated Crop Protection & Biological Control : Wood (Lignocellulose)

	Proposal No:	FAIR-CT96-1792
	Date Prepared:	January 1998
	Source:	Proposal Abstract

Abstract:
The green spruce aphid (Elatobium abietinum) is a ubiquitous and debilitating insect pest of spruce forests in Europe, causing widespread defoliation and reductions in tree growth and timber production. Current evidence assembled by AIR3-CT94-1883, suggests that these impacts are likely to intensify in the future because of climate change, but also that the pest problem could be alleviated by introducing pest resistance into tree improvement programmes, especially for Sitka spruce, and by simple and cost-effective silvicultural measures to encourage natural biocontrol. The project will progress the development of these control strategies by conducting original research and integrating existing knowledge, with the ultimate aim of minimising the impact of the aphid on spruce production. Special problems that may be posed by genetically differentiated forms of the pest in parts of Europe, where new forests are becoming established, will also be addressed. The key objectives are to:

• define the contribution that genetic variability of the pest will make to pest problems in the future determine the characteristics of forest which are related to effective biocontrol of the pests by natural enemies
• seek novel, sustainable solutions to the depression of pest population density through habitat manipulation and augmentation of natural enemies
• identify the nature of resistance in Sitka and Norway spruce by investigating individual and population responses of the pest to spruce genotypes with different levels of resistance
• characterise spruce resistance in terms of chemical, anatomical and genetic markers and firmly establish the basis for a selection programme for resistance
• identify the responses of spruce genotypes to defoliation and thus the advantages of selecting resistance traits in the timber and Christmas tree industries
• estimate the impact of defoliation events on final tree. size and timber production
• develop models for pest populations and their biotic and abiotic interactions, which will allow the joint evaluation of resistance a biocontrol
• determine through cost-benefit analyses the advantages of using resistance and natural enemy augmentation, for wood and fibre production and the costs of more aggressive pest genotypes
• recommend optimal solutions to the pest problem and strategies for safeguarding forest production levels in Europe.

The work programme will include an analysis of aphid DNA by the RAPD method to characterise aphid lineages from selected geographic and host-plant origins. Measures to augment biocontrol will be investigated through detailed studies of the functioning of biocontrol in plantation forests and by reference to biodiversity data. Simulation models for biocontrol will be developed here, and their use extended to incorporate the results from Tasks dealing with aphid and plant genetic differentiation. For the latter, work will focus on understanding the mode of action and consequences of plant resistance to the pest. Markers for spruce resistance will be sought among terpenes and phenols,. and by DNA analyses. The results from DNA analysis will be combined with empirical field data to calculate genetic parameters for the heredity of resistance. Economic gains for resistance and biocontrol will be studied by parameterisation and calibration of forest stand growth models (GROMIT and MAESTRO) which will provide a firm framework for estimating management costs/benefits. This multidisciplinary study relies on the complementary expertise of 7 research institutions in 5 member states and will represent a landmark study in integrated pest management for forests in Europe.

Contacts

Coordinator

• University Of Ulster Environmental Research / UNITED KINGDOM

EC Scientific Officer

• Alkimini KATSADA / European Commission DG VI Agriculture BELGIUM