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Insect pests of N orway spruce cones: incidences and altitude preferences with emphasis on C ydia strobilella (L.)
Author(s) -
Modlinger R.,
Holuša J.,
Liška J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1439-0418
pISSN - 0931-2048
DOI - 10.1111/jen.12206
Subject(s) - infestation , biology , altitude (triangle) , pest analysis , insect , botany , elevation (ballistics) , horticulture , ecology , mathematics , geometry
Pest species infesting spruce cones were identified from 109 locations approved for the collection of seed material in the Czech Republic. Four (occasionally five) cones were studied from each location, and 448 cones were examined in total. Each cone was assessed for external damage and was then cut open along the spine. The predominant pest species, C ydia strobilella , was detected in 65% of the cones, while the next most common species, D ioryctria abietella , was detected in 13% of the cones. E rnobius abietis , Eupithecia sp., and T hekopsora areolata were less numerous. Kaltenbachiola strobi and Megastigmus sp. were recorded sporadically. Most cones (68%) were infested with only one species. The maximum number of C . strobilella larvae detected in one cone was 13. Cone damage resulting from C . strobilella declined markedly with increasing elevation. Thus, cone infestation by C. strobilella was greater in those forest vegetation zones located in lowlands and uplands rather than in highlands and at lower mountain elevations. The number of cones without damage tended to increase with elevation, but infestation by D . abietella was unrelated to elevation. In some cases, C . strobilella damage to cones was severe. External markings on the cone (resin and deformation) cannot by themselves serve as reliable criteria for predicting C . strobilella infestation, although cones with such signs should be preferentially assessed when seed material is inspected.