Can our chestnut survive another invasion?

Abstract

Plant breeders and land managers have been actively pursuing development of an American chestnut with desirable silvicultural characteristics that demonstrates resistance to the chestnut blight fungus. As progress towards development of a blight-resistant chestnut continues, questions arise as to how these plants will interact with pre-existing stresses. The Asian chestnut gall wasp is an introduced invader exploiting chestnut in eastern North America and contributing to the complex of stressors facing chestnut restoration efforts. The gall wasp is a potentially devastating pest that causes globular galls on actively growing shoots of all Castanea species. Galling reduces tree vigor, prevents normal shoot development, reduces or eliminates nut production, and can cause tree mortality. The persistent spread of this exotic, invasive insect threatens chestnut production and restoration efforts throughout the eastern United States. We have been characterizing associates of the Asian chestnut gall wasp in eastern North America to more fully understand gall development and what factors regulate gall wasp populations. The natural enemy complex has been characterized, and interactions between a native parasitoid and an exotic parasitoid that was introduced for Asian chestnut gall wasp control are being evaluated. We are also evaluating the extent to which surrounding vegetation influences natural enemy occurrence. Our ultimate goal is to gain an understanding of the ecological interactions, dispersal patterns, and mechanisms regulating gall wasp populations in eastern North America.

Parent Publication

• Proceedings, 17th Central Hardwood Forest Conference

Citation

Rieske, Lynne K.; Cooper, W. Rodney. 2011. Can our chestnut survive another invasion. In: Fei, Songlin; Lhotka, John M.; Stringer, Jeffrey W.; Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Miller, Gary W., eds. Proceedings, 17th central hardwood forest conference; 2010 April 5-7; Lexington, KY; Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-P-78. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 410-417.