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Core funded aligned research on insects and fungi on species other than radiata pine 2017/2018

By Toni Withers, Ian Hood, Andrew Pugh, Beccy Ganley, Carl Wardhaugh, June 2018.

Download SWP-T061 (pdf)

Executive summary

Plantation species other than Pinus radiata (radiata pine), specifically Douglas-fir and eucalypts, form an important part of a diversified forest estate. Douglas-fir is planted over approx. 105,000 ha. and is the most widely planted tree species after radiata pine. Eucalyptus nitens is planted over approximately 14,000 ha and contributes ~$40 million pa in hardwood chip exports. Throughout New Zealand the biggest threat to E. nitens plantations is from the eucalyptus tortoise beetle, Paropsis charybdis. In addition, the recent arrival of myrtle rust may pose further challenges to the Eucalyptus forestry industry, although no evidence of damage in planted forests has been found in Australia to date.

Core funding (now known as Strategic Science Investment Fund or SSIF) of $150K pa to the Forest Protection team is used to undertake research on insects or fungi on Eucalyptus and Douglas-fir, and is included as the Scion contribution to the SWP research partnership. This milestone report will summarise the research undertaken in 2017-2018.

The research summarised here is broken down into three objectives, the outputs of which are supplied herein to SWP. The first objective relates to the biocontrol of Paropsis, the second to Swiss Needle Cast and the third to myrtle rust incursion.

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