Forest protection mainly focuses on the tropical and subtropical forest types in South China, and carries out teaching and research on the detection, identification, monitoring and prediction of forest pests, and prevention and control techniques. After nearly 20 years of development, important achievements have been made in the identification and rapid detection of plant nematodes, innovation and application of botanical insecticides, and pest control technology, etc. Four research directions were formed with its characteristics and advantages, which have a certain influence at home and abroad.
(1) Inspection and identification of pests
It is in the leading position in China in systematic studies on important forest insect groups, such as ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae), carabid beetles (Carabidae) and gossamer-winged butterflies (Lycaenidae). Two new genera and nearly 200 new species of the above mention insect groups and plant nematodes have been found. The rapid detection technology of pine wood nematodes, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and Bursaphelenchus mucronatus, was proposed. Two important pests of the forest, Anua indiscriminata and Vaneeckeia pallidifascia were identified.
(2) Basic biological research on pests
The non-host resistance mechanism of the pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum was studied deeply. Results revealed the wilting mechanism of eucalyptus and casuarina infested by R. solanacearum for the first time. We also established a rapid molecular detection technology for pathogen carriers in seedlings of eucalyptus infected with R. solanacearum. We studied the ubiquitin gene of forest pests, such as the Japanese pine sawyer (Monochamus alternatus). We also cloned the cDNA fragment sequences of acetylcholinase gene of Pseudophacopteron canarium.
(3) Natural active product and its application technology
Studies on insecticidal and bactericidal plants, such as neem, rotenone and vogel tephrosia, as well as the chemical composition of sex pheromones of important forest pests were carried out. New technology of continuous phase transformation for isolation, purification and efficient extraction of natural active products was developed. The new environmental protection formulation of botanical pesticide and insect pheromone applied to the prevention and control of forest pests was studied. Based on this researches, 44 national invention patents have been applied or approved.
(4) Integrated pest management technology:
We selected and bred a new strain of casuarina with rapid growth and disease resistance, and won the Second-Class Award of the State Science and Technology Progress Award. We discovered the nuclear polyhedral virus of Anua indiscriminata. We also studied the sex pheromone of snout moths and botanical attractants of bark beetles, and established the corresponding technology system to integrating pest management. A systematic study on diseases, pests and control techniques of landscape plants was carried out, and the book “Diseases, Pests and Control Technology of Flowers and Trees” was published which became the main reference book for controlling the diseases and pests of landscape plant in south China.
In the past five years, we have undertaken 71 scientific research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Department Public Benefit Research Foundation, and the French International Foundation and so on. The total funding for these projects is over 15 million Yuan. 263 papers have been published, among which 34 papers have been included in the Scientific Citation Index (SCI).