Forest Biosecurity in Brazil: Research institutes & industry perspective

Eucalyptus and Pinus are important commercial tree species in Brazil. Native and exotic pests and diseases can cause massive economic losses to forestry. The number of these pests has increased over time. Research institutes, and industry play a key role in protecting forests from pests by implementing effective biosecurity measures. Responsibility for biosecurity must be shared with all sectors, seeking for prevention or contingency of these invaders, protecting productive zones. An alliance between research institutions and industry has launched recently a document providing a technical basis for the elaboration and implementation of actions aiming at identifying, eradicating, containing, and/or properly managing possible introductions of pests and exotic pathogens to Pinus spp. and Eucalyptus spp. in Brazil. A set of management practices and activities can be used to protect forest plantations against well-established (native) pests and diseases as well as from exotic ones in the event of introduction. Thus, the most important strategy is to establish a robust and effective diagnosis. A well-structured monitoring system allows the detection of all sorts of symptoms in the plantations. Additionally, to avoid the spread of undesired agents to new areas, the planting material must be certified: seeds, seedlings, and cuttings are tested prior to shipment to other sites, mostly by PCR, blotter test or visual examination. In the case of international movement of plant material, the tissue culture is the most recommended. Regarding the heavy machinery used in forestry activities, the equipment must be sanitized prior to transportation to new areas. Finally, to protect against potential threats, those genetic materials that are previously known as susceptible to a given pest or disease can be used as sentinel plants in field trials to detect the presence of the targeted agent. The strategies listed above are the key to avoid losses caused by pests and diseases.