Agricultural and Forest Entomology (2012) 14, 139-145

Tiziana Panzavolta, Matteo Bracalini, Francesco Croci, Carlo Campani, Tamaro Bartoletti, Giuditta Miniati, Stefano Benedettelli and Riziero Tiberi (2012)
Asian chestnut gall wasp in Tuscany: gall characteristics, egg distribution and chestnut cultivar susceptibility
Agricultural and Forest Entomology 14 (2), 139-145
Abstract: 1. Preliminary investigations were carried out on Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu on Castanea sativa Miller in Tuscany to assess variations in gall characteristics in coppice and high forest at two crown heights (height < 2 or 2-6 m), influence of bud size and bud position on oviposition rates and susceptibility of three cultivars.
2. Gall size may depend on various factors, including wasp population density. In the present study area, small galls (with one or two cells) were the most numerous in 2008, whereas larger galls (with more than three cells) prevailed in 2009.
3. Dryocosmus kuriphilus oviposition occurrence was influenced by both bud size and bud position. Buds with eggs tended to be larger in size compared with bud without eggs, suggesting that D. kuriphilus females prefer to lay eggs in larger buds (approximately 6 mm³) compared with smaller buds (approximately 3 mm³). The mean number of eggs per bud tended to decrease from the apical bud toward the basal bud.
4. Three C. sativa cultivars, Carpinese, Fusca and Cesurone, were examined. Fusca grafts had significantly more galls compared with Carpinese and Cesurone, whereas Cesurone grafts had more larvae per bud compared with Carpinese and Fusca. Overall, the Carpinese cultivar may be less susceptible to D. kuriphilus galling compared with the Fusca and Cesurone cultivars.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Tiziana Panzavolta, Riziero Tiberi

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
general biology - morphology - evolution
resistance/tolerance/defence of host

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Dryocosmus kuriphilus	Chestnut (Castanea)	Italy