Sirex Management in Brazil

Sirex noctilio, a woodwasp from Europe, Asia and North Africa, is a major exotic pest in pine plantations in Brazil, as it is in Australia, Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, the United States, New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay. It was first registered in Brazil in 1988 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, and has since spread to the states of Santa Catarina (1989), Paraná (1996), São Paulo (2004) and Minas Gerais (2005). Because of this pest’s potential to cause significant losses in Brazilian pine plantations, the National Forest Pest Control Fund (FUNCEMA) was created by public and private organizations to support the National Woodwasp Control Program. This program includes monitoring the spread of Sirex and early detection using trap trees and ground inspections, prevention through adequate forest management, and biological control measures including introduction of the nematode parasites Deladenus siricidicola (which renders the female wasps sterile), Ibalia leucospoides, Megarhyssa nortoni, and Rhyssa persuasoria. The average level of parasitism obtained by the nematode is 70% but it occasionally reaches 100% effectiveness. Also successful were technology transfer efforts involving the biology and ecology of Sirex, trap tree monitoring, assessment of damage using sequential and systematic sampling methods, nematode inoculation, parasitism evaluation, and so on. This synergy between official government policy makers, research institutions, private companies, and producer’s associations was essential for the program’s success.