Hypsipyla Shoot Borers of Meliaceae in Sri Lanka - Australian ...

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Hypsipyla Shoot Borers of Meliaceae in Thailand Supachote Eungwijarnpanya 1 Abstract Several species of the Meliaceae subfamily Swietenioideae have been grown commercially in Thailand and virtually all have experienced some damage from Hypsipyla robusta (Moore). Native species of Swietenioideae include Chukrasia tabularis A. Juss., Toona ciliata M. Roem., T. sureni (Blume) Merr. and Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lam.) M. Roem. while exotic plantation species include Swietenia macrophylla King and S. mahagoni Jacq. Swietenia spp. and T. ciliata in plantations have been observed to be seriously damaged by H. robusta. A recent trial of meliaceous species showed that T. ciliata was much more susceptible to H. robusta damage than the exotic Cedrela odorata L. The number of private plantations of T. ciliata is increasing throughout the country, although the problem of H. robusta attack on species of Swietenioideae in Thailand has not been solved. HYPSIPYLA robusta (Moore) is known to feed almost exclusively on plants of the subfamily Swietenioideae of the family Meliaceae, of which there are seven species from three genera (Toona, Chukrasia and Xylocarpus) endemic to Thailand (Mabberley et al. 1995). Several exotic species belonging to the genera Swietenia, Khaya and Cedrela have been planted in Thailand for timber production. Species of the genera Swietenia and Toona have been recommended by the Royal Forest Department (RFD) for plantations in Thailand because of their beautiful wood and use for various purposes such as furniture, musical instruments, boats and paper pulp. However, some plantations have incurred serious damage from the Hypsipyla shoot borer. Mr Dumrong Chaiglom, a forester in the RFD, reported that the shoot borer of Swietenia spp. and Toona ciliata M. Roem. was Hypsipyla robusta (Moore) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (Chaiglom 1972). Other native hosts of H. robusta include Chukrasia tabularis Jacq. and Xylocarpus moluccensis (Lam.) M. Roem. (Hutacharern and Tubtim 1995). The larvae bore into shoots and feed inside stems, pupate and then emerge as an adult moth. The damage causes the shoot to wilt and die and as a consequence, the tree becomes highly branched. 1 Forest Research Office, Royal Forest Department, Paholyotin Rd, Bangkok 10900, Thailand 22 Swietenia spp. and T. ciliata are not only attacked by H. robusta but also by another stem borer, Pagiophloeus longiclavis Marshall (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Hutacharern and Choldumrongkul (1985) listed five important insect species that attack T. ciliata; H. robusta, P. longiclavis, Aristobia approximator Thom. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Zeuzera coffeae Nietner (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) and Sinoxylon sp. (Coleoptera: Bostrychidae). From 1981 to 1994, the Royal Forest Department did not recommend Swietenia spp. and T. ciliata as plantation species due to the likelihood of severe insect damage. However, since 1994, the government has launched a project to subsidise private growers for afforestation plantings and Swietenia spp. and T. ciliata are included in the recommended species list. Economic Importance and Performance of Swietenioideae Species Native species of the Swietenioideae belong to the genera Chukrasia, Toona and Xylocarpus. Chukrasia spp. are sparsely distributed in mixed deciduous forest in the northern, northeastern, eastern and southern parts of Thailand (P. Wasuwanich, RFD, pers. comm.). The biggest tree of C. tabularis is found in Kanchanaburi with girth at breast height (GBH) of 20 m and height of 65 m.
T. ciliata grows in dry deciduous forest and can be found in many parts of Thailand such as Lampang, Uthaithani, and Songkhla provinces. Xylocarpus sp. is a mangrove species naturally distributed in the eastern and southern parts of the country. None of these species are harvested from native forest since logging concessions were terminated in 1988. Hypsipyla robusta has been recorded to attack each of these native species of Swietenioideae. A number of native and exotic species of Swietenioideae have been planted in plantations. Chukrasia sp. has been planted in small areas (0.5–1 ha) for experimental purposes in Tak Province. T. ciliata was recommended 15 years ago by the RFD for planting in the government plantation. H. robusta caused severe damage to the shoots resulting in the trees being very bushy and stunted. Control of H. robusta was not attempted and after two to three years of consistent damage, the RFD ceased to recommend T. ciliata for planting. However in 1994, because of its fast growth and good quality timber, T. ciliata has again been recommended by the RFD for afforestation projects. The government subsidises planting at the rate of 19 000 baht (US$730) per ha. The total area of plantings of T. ciliata is about 15 ha and most trees are less than 3 years old. Many growers are currently interested in planting T. ciliata from seed provided by Mr Chumnong Thesagate, a forester who has collected seed from trees that were planted 14 years ago. He has 3 mother trees with GBH of approximately 175 cm. Mr Chumnong has planted about 3.2 ha of T. ciliata in a mixed species planting. In July 1996 it was found that 50% of the T. ciliata aged between one and two years were damaged by H. robusta. Trees that were damaged at a height of less than 1.5 m produced bushy tops and were sold as shade trees or ornamentals for commercial recreation areas such as resorts and golf courses. Trees that had 2.5 m of clear bole before being attacked were retained for timber production. Since 1995, Mr Chumnong has produced many T. ciliata seedlings and has distributed them for planting in many provinces such as Ratchaburi, Suphanburi and Prachuabkhirikhan. At one location in Ratchaburi Province, a plantation as large as 8 ha (C. Thesagate, RFD, pers. comm.) has been established. Many more growers have ordered seedlings from him for planting in 1997. Many of these plantings are being damaged by H. robusta. Swietenia sp. was planted in government plantation, however, due to serious damage by H. robusta 23 it was no longer recommended. As a result of the early plantings, about 0.5 ha of 40–50 year-old Swietenia sp. remains in Trang Province and 0.8 ha in Phuket Province (S. Bunyavejchewin, RFD, pers. comm.). Together with some more recent plantings (4–5 years old) in southern and northeastern Thailand, the total area of Swietenia sp. plantings is about 6 ha. Hypsipyla robusta Research and Future Directions T. ciliata is known to be very susceptible to infestation by H. robusta. Dr Chaweewan Hutacharern, a forest entomologist in the RFD, has established an insect resistance trial where a plantation of mature Tectona grandis Linn. f. was underplanted using seed of Cedrela odorata L., C. augustifolia Sesse & Moc., and T. sureni (Blume) Merr. obtained from Indonesia, and T. ciliata from Thailand. In these experimental plots in Lumpang Province, H. robusta caused greater damage to T. ciliata, (100% damage), than to C. odorata, (2% damage). Both species were also infested by P. longiclavis causing 56% and 5% damage respectively (Choldumrongkul and Hutacharern 1985). Both insects also caused damage to T. sureni and C. augustifolia but was not able to be compared to the other species because of the low survival of seedlings. All trees were removed from the trial plots and substituted by other species because of the heavy damage caused by both insect pests. References Chaiglom, D. 1972. Research on prevention of forest insect outbreaks for forest development. Paper presented at the Forestry Yearly Conference. 15–21 July, 1969. Royal Forest Department. Bangkok, Thailand. Choldumrongkul, S. and Hutacharern, C. 1985. Degree of insect damage on four species of Indian mahogany. The Kasetsart Journal, 27: 257–260. Hutacharern, C. and Tubtim, N. 1995. Checklist of forest insects in Thailand. Office of Environmental Policy and Planning, Ministry of Science Technology and Environment. Bangkok, Thailand. 392 p. Hutacharern, C. and Choldumrongkul, S. 1985. Insect pests of Cedrela spp. Vannasan, 43: 13–20 (in Thai). Mabberley, D.J., Pannel, C.M. and Sing, A.M. 1995. Flora Malesiana Series I – Spermatophyta Vol. 12, Pt 1, Meliaceae. Foundation Flora Malesiana, 407 p.
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Page 7 and 8: Table 1. Summary of current and pas
Page 9 and 10: 26° 21° WEST BENGAL (INDIA) PACHA
Page 11 and 12: The only harvesting of Swietenioide
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Page 25 and 26: S. macrophylla and Swietenia mahago
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Page 33 and 34: Table 1. Major plantation areas and
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Page 41 and 42: of these species, plantings have be
Page 43 and 44: 45 Table 5. Continued. Description
Page 45 and 46: 47 Table 6. Description of on-going
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Page 51 and 52: growth response and resultant form
Page 53 and 54: Mr David Spolc (University of Queen
Page 55 and 56: Haley, C. 1954. Forestry in Tropica
Page 57 and 58: Gross Domestic Product, a contribut
Page 59 and 60: A number of parasitoids have been b
Page 61 and 62: A Review of Hypsipyla grandella Zel

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