Asian Chestnut Gall Wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilusYasumatsu, 1951 (Hemiptera: Cynipidae), First Record and Damage Ratio in Sinop Province, Black Sea Region of Turkey

Authors : Melih Micik, Kahraman Ipekdal

Pages : 31-35

View : 24 | Download : 14

Publication Date : 2021-10-29

Article Type : Research

Abstract :Asian chestnut gall wasp, Dryocosmus kuriphilusYasumatsu (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae), is the most dangerous insect pest of the chestnut worldwide. Adults lay eggs immediately after emergence in summer. Its populations can reach outbreak levels in a couple of years after the first introduction. The galls induced by the larval feeding in the chestnut buds cause severe decrease in chestnut flower and fruit production under high population densities. The pest was first recorded in Europe in 2002 in Italy. It was first recorded in April 2014 in Yalova Province, Marmara region, north-western Turkey and it rapidly invaded both surrounding and some distant regions. During field trips in chestnut stands in 18.05.2021 in Sinop Province, Black Sea region, Turkey, we found that the chestnut stands of the province has been invaded by a large population of the Asian chestnut gall wasp. This is the first record of the pest from Sinop Province, where chestnut fruit is among the most important non-wood forest products in the region and the chestnut variety of the area has its own fame in the country. We also detected the damage ratio of the pest in the region. We found that the average number of galls per 50 cm chestnut twig was 17 in the study site, which is a higher ratio that the economic damage threshold and necessitates pest management measures to be taken as soon as possible.
Keywords : Castanea sativa, yayılış alanı genişletme, yeni kayıt