Host preference of the Meliaceae shootborer Hypsipyla: further information from grafting Cedrela odorata and Cedrela fissilis on Toona ciliata (Australian red cedar)

Summary

Exotic species of Cedrela (C. odorata C. de Canodolle and C. fissilis Vel.) grown on the New South Wales mid-north coast of Australia are not attacked by the shootborer Hypsipyla robusta whereas Australian red cedar (Toona ciliata) grown in plantation in the same location is heavily attacked. In an extension of our earlier study, further grafts were constructed using C. odorata and C. fissilis as scion and T. ciliata as rootstock. Tree height and degree of shootborer attack were monitored over a four-year period. Grafts of C. odorata on T. ciliata were attacked but not those of C. fissilis on T. ciliata, revealing further insights into the host preference of Hypsipyla. Possible reasons for the observed differences in susceptibility to attack between the two graft types are discussed.

Keywords:

• insect pests
• pest resistance
• hosts
• grafting
• Meliaceae
• Cedrela
• Toona
• Hisipyla