Biology and monitoring of Dryocosmus kuriphilus on Castanea sativa in Southern Italy

Abstract

1 The cynipid gall wasp Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) is an invasive wasp in Europe and is one of the major pests of chestnuts worldwide. An investigation of this cynipid was started in Campania, Southern Italy, in 2008, with the aim of providing guidelines for its sustainable control. 2 The number of larvae/gall increased in the second year of colonization relative to the first one but thereafter decreased in the third year of colonization, whereas the volume of the galls after the initial increase in the second year of colonization became stable. Adult emergence generally peaked between the middle of June and July. 3 The only reliable method for assessing the presence of the pest at its earliest stage was through dissecting the buds because oviposition scars on the buds tended to disappear during the winter. 4 Yellow traps were shown to be an effective method for assessing the emergence of cynipid adults and could potentially be used to time chemical applications in those cases in which this control method is feasible. 5 No correlation was recorded between the relative durations of the final stages (pupae, pharate adults and emergence). 6 Possible control strategies for this invasive pest are discussed.

Resistance of a Local Ecotype of Castanea sativa to Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) in Southern Italy

“…ACGW is a univoltine species, and its populations are composed entirely of females, which result from thelytokous reproduction that is not induced by bacterial endosymbionts [15]. Its infestation determines the formation of simple or compound galls that can be mono-or multilocular and develop principally on shoots (stem gall) and leaves.…”

Assessing the impact of Dryocosmus kuriphilus on the chestnut tree: branch architecture matters

“…has focused on various aspects. These include insect biology (Viggiani and Nugnes 2010;Bernardo et al 2013), host-gall wasp interactions (Germinara et al 2011;Panzavolta et al 2012), biological (Quacchia et al 2008) and mechanical control (Maltoni et al 2012b;Turchetti et al 2012), identification of less susceptible C. sativa genotypes (Dini et al 2012;Sartor et al 2015), visual crown damage assessment (Guyot et al 2015), damage description and classification (Maltoni et al 2012a). In this context, and based on the experience of prior Japanese research, a number of different methods for the assessment of infestation degree (MAID) have been implemented and used (Kotobuki et al 1985;Matošević et al 2010;Sartor et al 2015) (Table 1).…”

Plant health surveys for the EU territory: an analysis of data quality and methodologies and the resulting uncertainties for pest risk assessment (PERSEUS) CFP/EFSA/PLH/2010/01

“…Symptoms of the infestation by Dryocosmus kuriphilus are known but not always identifiable; depending on the stage of the insect. While according to Bernardo et al (2013), oviposition scars can be visible on the buds.…”

“…The only reliable method for assessing the presence of the pest at its earliest stage is through dissecting the buds because oviposition scars on the buds tended to disappear during the winter (Bernardo et al, 2013). Can prevailing weather effect survey?…”

“…Data fromBernardo et al (2013). Biology and monitoring of Dryocosmus kuriphilus on Castanea sativa in Southern Italy…”