Systemic Pesticides in Woody Plants: Translocation

Abstract

For centuries man has been intrigued with the possibility of injecting materials into the sap stream of standing trees to control tree pests, color the wood, preserve the wood against decay, introduce fire retardants, and add nutrients. As early as 1709 Magnol followed the rise of colored dyes in the sap stream of plants. (The historical review taken mainly from Craighead and St. George, 1938.) In 1733, De la Baisse presented a paper on the rise of sap and colored liquids in plants. The relation of leaves to the rise of sap was covered by Bonnet in 1754. Saussure introduced toxic solutions into the sap stream of trees in 1804 but it was Leonardo da Vinci who suggested that arsenic be introduced into fruit trees to control pests. In the early 1930's, Boucherie experimented extensively on the introduction of chemicals into trees being primarily interested in incorporating preservatives into wood to be used for railroad ties. Some of his methods are still in use today, and many of the difficulties that plagued his work plague us today.