Bagworms in Indonesian Plantation Forests: Species Composition, Pest Status, and Factors That Contribute to Outbreaks

Abstract

The role of plantation forests will become more important in the future, along with the increasing demand for wood. However, pest infestation problems may represent significant obstacles to the development of sustainable forest plantations. Bagworms are one of the most important pests in Indonesian plantation forests. Outbreaks of bagworms have occurred in different tree species for wood or non-wood resources. This paper presents the first review of bagworms in Indonesian plantation forests. This review presents the diversity of bagworms, their pest status, and the factors affecting the outbreaks. More than 70 bagworm species were recorded in Indonesia, which is higher than the species richness recorded in neighboring countries. The subfamily Oiketicinae has the highest number of species, followed by Typhoniinae and Taleporiinae. The highest bagworm richness has been recorded in Western Indonesia, except for Papua, where many new species have recently been described. More than 10 species of bagworms have been reported as pests in Indonesian forest trees. Pteroma plagiophleps is currently considered the most important pest in the forestry sector because of the wide range of forest trees used as hosts. Bagworm outbreaks have been reported in forest trees since 1924. The first outbreak occurred only in pines in Sumatra. Currently, outbreaks occur in more host plants and on other islands. Bagworm outbreaks are influenced by multiple factors, such as the biology of the bagworms, their host plants and natural enemies, climate, and silvicultural practices.

Macro-microscopic evidence of pest, diseases and coexistence of microplastics in Avicennia marina leaves from Mangunharjo Village, Tugu District, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia

“…Bagworms have been noted as a pest in plantation industry. This insect is easily distinguished by the presence of "bag" structure that made of silk and dry plant's material, algae, lichen or dead insect to protect their body [29]. The bagworms are mainly composed by Lepidoptera.…”

“…The bagworms are mainly composed by Lepidoptera. Several of them are the larvae of moths that commonly reported as pest in mangrove such as Acanthopsyche sp., Cryptothelea sp., Hyblaea puera, and Pteroma plagiophleps [29][30][31]. Overpopulation of bagworms causes bald leaves and triggers tree death.…”

Relationships Among Biomass, Carbon, and Microfibril Angle in Young <i>Shorea</i> spp. (Dipterocarpaceae) in Indonesia

“…In contrast, around a third of S. palembanica leaves were unhealthy due to disease and insect pests. Lelana et al (2022) specified several leaf predators such as Mucanum spp., Pteroma plagiophelps, Valanga nigricornis, and Pestalotia spp., which have been found to effectively cause reduced leaf quality in Shorea species in Indonesia. Leaf size, shape, and canopy arrangement can influence photosynthesis rate and total biomass production in many tree species (Falster et al 2018;West 2020).…”

Soil Degradation Due to Conversion from Natural to Plantation Forests in Indonesia

“…The uniform tree composition and high tree density in monocultures, however, provide food sources and habitats for insects and pathogens, which consequently increase in population size and spread the infection rapidly [31]. Thus, a monoculture is more susceptible to pests and diseases [96].…”