Abstract
European sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is one of the most important wood species due to its environmental and economic role in many agro-forestry systems. Chestnut gall wasp (Dryocosmus kuriphilus Yasumatsu, 1951) is currently the most dangerous pest of sweet chestnut, including in Slovenia. Attack on vegetative buds (in which the eggs are deposited and on which galls are subsequently formed) disturbs the growth of shoots and reduces the yield. In the event of a strong attack, the tree can weaken and decay, which is already noticeable on the ground in Slovenia, especially in terms of the monitored genetic resources of the chestnut tree. Following Japanese experience, European countries are increasingly choosing biological control of chestnut gall wasp with the torymid wasp (Torymus sinensis Kamijo, 1982). Micropropagation is a way of ensuring effective preservation and reproduction while optimizing all phases of work. In the micropropagation of Slovenian sweet chestnut genetic resources, problems arise in the rooting phase.
Highlights
Sweet chestnut is a woody species that plays an important role in the world because of its wide functional value and because of its economic and environmental importance
There are three main areas of chestnut plantations around the world: (1) in Asia the most important area is in China, where the species C. mollissima and C. henryi grow in natural conditions, as well as in plantations, and in Japan, where the species Castanea crenata is widespread; (2) Europe is the second main area, in which the species C. sativa is predominant; (3) in North America, the American chestnut, C. dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. was widespread in nature, but is nowadays replaced by hybrids that are resistant to chestnut blight and ink disease (Pereira-Lorenzo and Ramos-Cabrer, 2007)
If T. sinensis could be confirmed as a specific parasitoid that does not attack non-target species, it could be considered as a candidate for biological control of the chestnut gall wasp (D. kuriphilus) beyond the present scale
Summary
Sweet chestnut is a woody species that plays an important role in the world because of its wide functional value and because of its economic and environmental importance. & Wils., as well as the European chestnut , sweet chestnut, C. sativa (Mill.), have been a basic food for survival of the population for centuries in many parts of Asia, Southern Europe and most of the countries bordering the Mediterranean (Bounous, 2005). The Romans spread European sweet chestnut (C. sativa Mill.) throughout the European continent mainly to produce wooden barrels for storing wine During this period, chestnut as a source of food was not the main reason for its spread across Europe. There are three main areas of chestnut plantations around the world: (1) in Asia the most important area is in China, where the species C. mollissima and C. henryi grow in natural conditions, as well as in plantations, and in Japan, where the species Castanea crenata is widespread; (2) Europe is the second main area, in which the species C. sativa is predominant; (3) in North America, the American chestnut, C. dentata (Marsh.) Borkh. Due to the rapid expansion of the chestnut gall wasp with planting material from the original areas of China to almost all of the world's growing areas, including Europe, and the rapid collapse of trees, new plant breeding programs have begun to appear, in order to obtain genotypes resistant to this very dangerous pest
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