article id 432,
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                        Research article
                    
        
                                    
                                    
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                            In 1996, ca. 7000 hectares of pine forests at Hökensås in SW Sweden were  defoliated by the pine looper, Bupalus piniara (L.) (Lepidoptera.  Geometridae). Following an aerial damage survey using CIR (colour infra  red) photography, and estimation of pupal densities in the soil, ca 4000  ha of the most defoliated pine stands were sprayed in early August 1997  with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki. The control operation was  succeessful but probably redundant, as no further defoliation occurred  in unsprayed reference areas. In order to assess defoliation levels in  different damage classes for later growth loss studies, 47 circular  study plots were laid out in pine stands representing different damage  and age classes. The remaining foliage was recorded for each tree using  the following classes: 0, 10, 30, 50, 70, 90 and 100%. The defoliation  levels in 1996 were estimated by disregarding the 1997 needle age class.  Thirteen ca. 40-year-old sample trees representing different damage  classes were felled, and the remaining foliage of all branches was  estimated by needle age class using the above-mentioned scale. One  branch in each of the whorls 1996, 1991, 1986 and 1981 was sampled and  its needle dry weight was determined. The sample branch data confirmed  the field observations that virtually no additional defoliation took  place in 1997. The damage classes estimated from the CIR-pictures only  agreed with the field damage estimates at the higher end of the damage  scale. In contrast, the field estimate correlated well with plot means  derived from tree-wise estimates (R2 = 0.93), and with with the  calculated needle biomasses per tree (R2 = 0.90). Thus, the field damage  classification was supported by the more detailed defoliation  estimates, and hence forms a relevant basis for later growth loss  studies.
                        
                
                                            - 
                            Långström,
                            SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            bo.langstrom@entom.slu.se
                                                                                          
- 
                            Hellqvist,
                            SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            ch@nn.se
                                                                                
- 
                            Cedervind,
                            SLU, Dept. of Entomology, P.O.Box 7044, S-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden. Fax +46 18 672 890
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            jc@nn.se