Insect pests of Tasmanian blue gum., Eucalyptus globulus globulus.) in south-western Australia: History., current perspectives and future prospects

Effects of defoliation by Eucalyptus weevil, Gonipterus scutellatus, and chrysomelid beetles on growth of Eucalyptus globulus in southwestern Australia

“…In southwestern Australia, another defoliating beetle, the Eucalyptus weevil, Gonipterus scutellatus Gyllenhal, has been identified as the most damaging insect pest of established plantations of E. globulus Labill. (Loch and Floyd, 2001;Loch, 2005Loch, , 2006. However, a recent study has shown that what has been identified as G. scutellatus worldwide is a complex of more than 10 cryptic species (T. Mapondera, T. Burgess, R. Oberprieler, M. Matsuki, unpublished data).…”

Growth responses of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. to nitrogen application and severity, pattern and frequency of artificial defoliation

“…In Eucalyptus globulus plantations, several studies have suggested that removal of more than 20% of leaf area can result in long-term changes in stem growth (Rapley, 2005;Smith, 2005), although this is likely to be influenced by pattern and frequency of defoliation (Pinkard, 2003;Wills et al, 2004). Both browsing mammals (O'Reilly-Wapstra et al, 2002) and a number of insects (Elliott and de Little, 1984;Loch and Floyd, 2001) defoliate E. globulus plantations in Australia and are potential threats to productivity. Operationally and economically feasible methods of minimising growth losses from defoliation in E. globulus plantations are required.…”

Efficiency of biological control of Gonipterus platensis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by Anaphes nitens (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in cold areas of the Iberian Peninsula: Implications for defoliation and wood production in Eucalyptus globulus

“…From South Africa, after the initial success of the agent, the parasitoid was introduced into many other regions over the world, usually with at least partial success (e.g., Cordero Rivera et al, 1999;Hanks et al, 2000). Nevertheless, in temperate regions of South Africa, Western Australia and the Iberian Peninsula, the damage caused by the eucalyptus weevil remains high, despite the presence of the parasitoid (Loch and Floyd, 2001;Valente et al, 2004;Tribe, 2005;Govender and Wingfield, 2005;Echeverri-Molina and Santolamazza-Carbone, 2010). Both in Portugal and in Galicia, Spain, G. platensis became a major limiting factor of Eucalyptus wood production, prompting recent research programs to cope with this insect pest through either tree resistance (Basurco and Toval, 2004), chemical control (Santolamazza-Carbone and Fernandez, 2004;Echeverri-Molina and Santolamazza-Carbone, 2010), or seasonal augmentative release of A. nitens, as conducted by Altri Florestal enterprise since 2006.…”