Eucalyptus pests

Genetically engineered eucalyptus expressing pesticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis for insect resistance: a risk assessment evaluation perspective

“…However, there is a significant likelihood of a major outbreak to occur during the 6–7 years of the rotation cycle. Even a single infestation of defoliators can inflict substantial damage, estimated to cause a loss of 13%–40% in the annual yield ( Barbosa et al, 2022 ), which translates to a reduction of 9%–19% in the wood volume during harvest. Additionally, when the tree’s defense mechanism is activated, it leads to undesirable changes in the wood’s properties and an increase in the lignin content.…”

“…In Brazil, the brown looper moth Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae) is a major lepidopteran pest of eucalyptus trees. Originally infesting native Myrtaceae hosts, like guava ( Psidium guajava ) ( Holtz et al, 2003 ; Barbosa et al, 2022 ), T. arnobia has expanded its range to include eucalyptus. Since 2015, over 413,000 hectares of eucalyptus fields in Suzano S.A. have been reported to being infested by T. arnobia .…”

“…Since 2015, over 413,000 hectares of eucalyptus fields in Suzano S.A. have been reported to being infested by T. arnobia . The two main control methods involve releasing pupal parasitoid wasps, such as Tetrastichus howardi (Olliff, 1893) and Trichospilus diatraeae (Cherian and Margabandhu, 1942) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) ( Barbosa, et al, 2022 ), and applying Bt biopesticides, such as DiPel ® . Bt biopesticide applications are carried out after the manual monitoring and detection of caterpillars and their damage in the field ( McDowell and Mann, 1991 ).…”