| The proposed project aims to provide answers to several crucial questions in biology and ecology of Ips typographus and to develop promising, environmentally sound methods for pest control and monitoring of this important bark beetle. The targeted topics were identified based on insight gained during the ongoing bark beetle outbreak and under the influence of climate change. Main goals of the project are:
1. To understand breeding behavior and induction of diapause in late summer and fall: Experiments under laboratory conditions will identify environmental factors inducing diapause. The results will be of great practical importance for further development of phenological models as well as risk analysis.
2. To ascertain molecular mechanisms of resistance/tolerance of spruce against bark beetle attack: Specific defense genes will be analyzed by RT-qPCR and DNA-seq. The resulting set of molecular markers will contribute to a better understanding of host defense against bark beetles and will bring important gains in knowledge for plant breeding.
3. To further develop environmentally sound methods for treatment of infested wood: The diminishing availability of chemical pest control agents leads to increasing demand for pesticide free methods for treating bark beetle infested wood. Experiments will provide yet unknown details for promising methods, such as debarking by harvester, scratching bark or covering wood with materials such as construction fleece, and test methods under practical conditions. The correct application of successful methods will be disseminated in forestry practice.
4. To establish new monitoring tools: The correlation of the phenology of certain indicator plants and spring swarming of I. typographus will be tested by using citizen science as well as the analysis of existing data sets. Derived popular indicator plants for bark beetle swarming could be a valuable addition to existing monitoring systems that would be accessible for new groups of users. Based on existing traps and lures an automated trap will be developed.
Overall, the results from this project will make a highly relevant contribution to further developing integrated management of I. typographus, a pest that will remain of highest importance in Austrian forests. |