Harnessing the potential of Precision Pest Management in plantation forests

Abstract

There are numerous new and emerging technologies that allow for greater precision in forest pest management, from sequencing and chemical analyses, to data collection through smart technologies, and integration, analysis and sharing of data across fields. These technologies allow for the development of much more precise tools for pest management than has ever before been possible; an approach that we define as Precision Pest Management (PPM). They also allow for more rapid development of IPM tools, as well as the ability for early recognition and response to changes in pest population densities and distributions. We argue that there is an increasing need for a PPM approach and that we harness the opportunities these technologies offer to deal with the scale and complexity of pest management in the future.

Integrated pest management of Hypsipyla robusta shoot-tip borer (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) in Chukrasia tabularis (Sapindales: Meliaceae)

“…More intensive searches for natural predators of H. robusta (Opuni-Frimpong et al 2022) should be undertaken to detect suitable candidate species that can be field tested. This needs to be combined with more in depth studies on insect population dynamics (Fischbein and Corley 2022) and use of smart technologies (Slippers et al 2020). Furthermore, the tolerant families (BK08, HB06, LC04, TH02) used in this study contained endophytic bacteria, including Bacillus bombysepticus and B. velezensis , that can antagonize H. robusta larvae (Tra et al 2022).…”

Chemical and visual ecology of the Symphyta

“…Pheromone baited lures remain one of the most specific and sensitive methods to monitor population levels and subsequently prevent outbreaks together with other control methods. Technological advances have the potential to facilitate the development of management tactics for forest insects, including the Symphyta (Slippers et al, 2020). More Symphyta genomes are available, which facilitates the development of new technology such as reverse chemical ecology (Li et al, 2021) or CRISPR‐Cas9 (Pickett, 2014).…”

Forest Biosecurity in Canada – An Integrated Multi-Agency Approach

“…Combining risk-based sampling and targeting inspection programs and interception data collection and analysis at the border can improve inspection effectiveness and help streamline and reduce inspection pressure. Post-border opportunities include several new and emerging technologies (e.g., data collection, integration and sharing through smart technologies (Naidoo et al, 2019); technological advances allowing for in-field chemical analyses and optimization of surveillance programs [e.g., Pawson et al, 2020)] that allow the development of much more precise biosurveillance and management tools more rapidly than has been possible to date (see Slippers et al, 2020 for a discussion of the potential of precision pest management in forestry). Building a sound scientific understanding of pest biology, epidemiology and trade economics is essential in the development of effective forest biosecurity policy.…”