Alert for a new forest pest

2023-07-24 -

Affects poplar and fruit plantations in Patagonia

It is the poplar moth (Leucoptera sinuella), an insect that could affect the production of fruit trees that are close to salicaceae curtains. INTA together with two universities in Chile, Senasa, Conicet and private sector leaders work on the identification, monitoring and management of field management tools. Its early detection is essential to prevent its spread.
The poplar moth (Leucoptera sinuella) is a leaf-mining pest, which was detected for the first time in Chile, in 2015, on curtains of salicaceae -poplars, willows-.
Its detection in Patagonia took place at the beginning of 2023, during an insect monitoring campaign carried out in northern Neuquén by entomologists Federico D'Hervé and Anabel Olave from Senasa and the National University of Comahue respectively, who reported the species to the National Surveillance and Monitoring System (Sinavimo).
Although it is a pest of foresters, in the last generations when the larvae complete their development they can affect the fruit trees surrounding the poplar curtains, which can cause rejections during fresh fruit exports.
For this reason, the Plant Health Area of INTA Alto Valle –Río Negro– together with the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso and the Universidad de Talca –Chile–, Senasa, Conicet and private sector references work on the identification, monitoring and management of management tools in the field.
To identify the poplar moth, Silvina Garrido, INTA Alto Valle specialist, described: “Adults are small white moths whose first pair of wings has a black spot and three orange stripes. Its larvae mine the interior of the mesophyll of the leaves and their pupae are covered by a silky white cocoon with a very characteristic “H” shape.