Research

The IPS project is developing an innovative sustainable control method to reduce the impact of forest insect infestations on forests. Bark beetle infestations (Ips typographus) and weevil infestations (Hylobius abietis) on various conifers are increasing, also as a result of increasingly frequent extreme events that weaken forest ecosystems. So far, there is no effective solution that could reduce these harmful effects, except to remove infested trees or trunks promptly. Our goal is to develop and test products that can reduce the impact of bark beetles and weevils by acting on their microbiome and leading to the death of the insect. These laboratory-proven products are based on plant extracts and mineral substances and are therefore ecologically neutral. They also help to protect forest ecosystems and thus contribute to waste reduction and the creation of new value chains in the sense of the circular economy.

Insects are an essential components of many ecosystems (pollinators, pests, etc.). In agricultural and forestry practice, synthetic chemical insecticides are often used to control pests. However, they also pose a health risk to humans and many ecosystems and have a negative impact on beneficial insects and other organisms. In addition, the long-term use of chemical insecticides leads to pest resistance, which gradually reduces their effectiveness. Therefore, there is great interest in replacing chemical insecticides with biological alternatives. The most effective biopesticides include insect pathogens such as nematodes, fungi and bacteria. They are still used to a limited extent and represent a supplement to conventional insecticides. The limited use of biopesticides is due to several factors, such as their slower action, their sensitivity to environmental conditions or their limited market supply. As part of this project, we will expand the possible use of biopesticides by combining them with other pathogens. When infected with pathogens, the host, e.g. a harmful insect, recognizes the foreign organisms and activates the corresponding defence reactions. Influencing these defense reactions is therefore one way of increasing the effectiveness of biopesticides. These biopesticides can be modified by combining them with RNA interference (RNAi), which increases the effect and does not harm non-target organisms. In practice, RNAi can be induced (with double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)) to block genes of the insect immune system and thus enhance the effect of pathogens. By blocking these genes, the pest is weakened or killed. Biopesticides using RNAi can be targeted against specific pests (as they are highly specific) without harming non-target organisms such as pollinators and other beneficial insects. Another focus of the project is to monitor the effects of the biopesticides developed on non-target organisms and to raise awareness of biopesticides. For practical reasons, the project concentrates on selected agricultural and forestry insect pests, the spruce bark beetle, the spongy moth and the Colorado potato beetle. In addition, the complete sequence of their genomes is available, making them suitable for the use of molecular biology methods to modify existing bioinsecticides, which may subsequently have a positive impact on the control of their populations. We will first test the new pesticides on the Colorado potato beetle and then modify them for the spruce bark beetle and the spongy moth.

The invasive Tree-of-Heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is increasingly migrating into habitat types worthy of protection, where, due to its rapid growth, its low soil, site and climate requirements, its high capability of reproduction via root suckers and stump sprouts, its strong vegetative reproduction and massive production of seeds and due to its allelopathic properties, it endangers rare plant species and associated animal species. In the present project, an attempt is being made to combat invasive Tree-of-Heaven on the dry grassland site Dürrham (Heißlände) in the Lower Lobau, which is worthy of protection, and in the FFH habitat types 91G0 (Pannonian oak-hornbeam forest), 91H0 (Pannonian downy oak forest) and in the FFH habitat type 6210 (Trespen-fescue-limestone dry grassland) on the Bisamberg, respectively. Furthermore, soil as well as potentially susceptible dicotyledonous plants will be sampled and screened for the agent V. nonalfalfae (see below) on both sites in spring 2024 and 2025. The control is to be carried out using the biological control method developed at the Institute of Forest Entomology, Forest Pathology and Forest Protection (BOKU University) in 2011 on the basis of the native wilt fungus Verticillium nonalfalfae, which has already proven to be sustainable, cost-efficient, but also quickly and specifically effective in numerous series of experiments. The control is therefore also in line with the biodiversity strategy Austria 2030+ of the BMK.