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Siberian Journal of Forest Science

2014 year, number 6

All European Ash Species are Susceptible to Emerald Ash Borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) — a Far Eastern Invader

Yu. N. Baranchikov1, L. G. Seraya2, M. N. Grinash2
1V. N. Sukachev Institute of Forest, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Akademgorodok, 50/28, Krasnoyarsk, 660036 Russian Federation
2N. V. Tsitsin Main Botanical Garden, Russian Academy of Sciences, Botanicheskaya Str., 4, Moscow, 127276 Russian Federation
Keywords: Fraxinus excelsior, Fraxinus angustifolia, Fraxinus ornus, emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, host plants, resistance, invasive species, Europe

Abstract

Emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) — an example of a destructive invasive insect which abruptly enlarged its initially East–Asian area in 80–90s of the previous century. Nowadays this species is the main pest of ash ( Fraxinus) trees in USA and Canada and is quickly spreading over 11 administrative regions of Russia. It is very important to determine a list of possible host plants of A. planipennis for the pest risk assessment of invasion of this pest over the territory of Central and Western Europe. In its native area — North–Eastern Asia — this buprestid is a secondary consumer of dying trees of East-Asian ash species F. сhinensis and F. mandshurica. Healthy trees of these species are highly resistant to the pest. No examples of resistant ash species were found at North American continent. Documentary data are presented for the first time on infestation of three European ash species at the territory of the Main Botanical Garden of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Russia by the emerald ash borer. At the first time this pest was registered at the garden in 2011. During the period of 2010–2014 EAB killed from 70 to 100 % of trees of European ash species: Fraxinus excelsior, F. angustifolia (= F. oxycarpa) and F. ornus. At the same period from 81 to 90 % of specimens of North American ash species ( F. pennsylvanica and F. americana) were killed by this buprestid. Simultaneously dead trees of Asian species F. mandshurica and F. chinensis (= F. rhynchophyla) did not carry any trace of EAB infestation. This case study is a good example of the «sentinel trees» concept’s usefulness. Arboretums with collections of non-native plants may serve as «ecological traps» for the local pests and pathogens - potential invasive organisms in the source regions of introduced plants.