Williams, Christopher D. and Dillon, Aoife B. and Harvey, Christopher D. and Hennessy, Roseanne and Mc Namara, Louise and Griffin, Christine
(2013)
Control of a major pest of forestry, Hylobius abietis,
with entomopathogenic nematodes and fungi using eradicant
and prophylactic strategies.
Forest Ecology and Management, 305.
pp. 212-222.
ISSN 0378-1127
Abstract
Hylobius abietis, a major problem for seedling survival on forested land, develops under the bark of
stumps of felled conifers. We investigated the efficacy of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) and fungi
(EPF) applied to stumps to suppress adult emergence. We performed five field trials over three years and
assessed results through destructive sampling and emergence trapping. We used two strategies in application:
eradicant, where treatments were applied after weevil colonisation and prophylactic, where treatments
were applied prior to colonisation. At prophylactic sites no treatment significantly reduced weevil
emergence. At all eradicant sites, treatments including nematodes were more efficacious than those not.
EPF-only treatment did not significantly reduce weevil emergence compared to controls, but there was a
non-significant (P = 0.058) numerical reduction at one site. The effects of EPF and EPN were additive.
There was evidence of mortality due to native Beauveria sp. at all three eradicant sites, identified as Beauveria
caledonica at one. A proportion of weevils at depths of up to 18 cm in the soil were infected by the
applied Beauveria bassiana showing that applied fungi can reach this cryptic pest. If choice of EPF strain
and application technologies are optimised, EPF may present a viable control method for pine weevil in
the future.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Additional Information: |
The definitive published version of this article is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2013.05.055 . |
| Keywords: |
Pine Weevil; Biological control; Steinernema carpocapsae; Heterorhabditis downesi; Beauveria bassiana; Beauveria caledonica; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering > Biology |
| Item ID: |
6822 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.05.055 |
| Depositing User: |
Dr. Christine Griffin
|
| Date Deposited: |
18 Jan 2016 15:15 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Forest Ecology and Management |
| Publisher: |
Elsevier |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Funders: |
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Teagasc |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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