Project Details
Description
In Costa Rica, large investments have been made in the establishment and management of forest
plantations and other production systems in order to supply the country with wood and provide other
environmental services. These systems are generally very homogeneous, which makes them
susceptible to attack by pests and diseases. The School of Forest Engineering of the Technological
Institute of Costa Rica has led activities related to forest health in the country, where, up to 2015, a
total of 1,310 insect species, 347 species of pathogens, 40 vertebrates and 9 mistletoes have been
reported attacking 136 forest species. However, in these reports some individuals are identified only
to the genus level and other have unidentified species. In addition, the management and control of
these pests is limited or minimal, mainly due to ignorance and lack of information.
It is for this reason that this project aims to develop a database on pests in productive forest systems
in Costa Rica that includes updated, reliable and easily accessible information. In addition, the
complete identification (morphological and molecular) of new specimens reported as pests will be
carried out.
Through producer surveys, priority pests will be determined for teak, melina, cypress crops and for
pallets as a final product. Based on these surveys and the collection of information, technological
packages will be proposed for solutions to the phytosanitary problems found, through Integrated
Pest Management (IPM). A financial analysis of the cost of implementing this IPM scheme will be
carried out and finally, as part of the strategies to reduce dependence on chemical products in
disease control, the applicability of biological control will be sought through the search and
identification of endophytic microorganisms that have potential to be biocontrollers of forest
pathogens.
The results obtained through field days, dissemination activities and scientific articles will be
integrated and complemented with the scope of research projects carried out by GENFORES and
the TEC Intensive Forestry Group.
It is worth mentioning that this project is consistent with the national goals for compliance with the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs: 3.9, 12.2, 15.2) the 2018-2050 decarbonization plan, the
Strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) and the compliance
with Executive Decree 41772 – MINAE, Guiding principles of the productive forestry sector.
plantations and other production systems in order to supply the country with wood and provide other
environmental services. These systems are generally very homogeneous, which makes them
susceptible to attack by pests and diseases. The School of Forest Engineering of the Technological
Institute of Costa Rica has led activities related to forest health in the country, where, up to 2015, a
total of 1,310 insect species, 347 species of pathogens, 40 vertebrates and 9 mistletoes have been
reported attacking 136 forest species. However, in these reports some individuals are identified only
to the genus level and other have unidentified species. In addition, the management and control of
these pests is limited or minimal, mainly due to ignorance and lack of information.
It is for this reason that this project aims to develop a database on pests in productive forest systems
in Costa Rica that includes updated, reliable and easily accessible information. In addition, the
complete identification (morphological and molecular) of new specimens reported as pests will be
carried out.
Through producer surveys, priority pests will be determined for teak, melina, cypress crops and for
pallets as a final product. Based on these surveys and the collection of information, technological
packages will be proposed for solutions to the phytosanitary problems found, through Integrated
Pest Management (IPM). A financial analysis of the cost of implementing this IPM scheme will be
carried out and finally, as part of the strategies to reduce dependence on chemical products in
disease control, the applicability of biological control will be sought through the search and
identification of endophytic microorganisms that have potential to be biocontrollers of forest
pathogens.
The results obtained through field days, dissemination activities and scientific articles will be
integrated and complemented with the scope of research projects carried out by GENFORES and
the TEC Intensive Forestry Group.
It is worth mentioning that this project is consistent with the national goals for compliance with the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs: 3.9, 12.2, 15.2) the 2018-2050 decarbonization plan, the
Strategy for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) and the compliance
with Executive Decree 41772 – MINAE, Guiding principles of the productive forestry sector.
General Objective
Evaluar el estado fitosanitario y las prácticas de Manejo
Integrado de Plagas, implementadas en sistemas productivos forestales en Costa
Rica.
Integrado de Plagas, implementadas en sistemas productivos forestales en Costa
Rica.
Research Lines
Productividad y calidad de plantaciones forestales
| Status | Finished |
|---|---|
| Effective start/end date | 1/07/22 → 1/06/24 |
Keywords
- Biological control
- diseases
- pests
- Forest Health
- forestry
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