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Forest
Protection Research
Background
Forests and trees like many other plants,
suffer from attack by insect pests and diseases which
cause a lot of damage, thus resulting in poor tree growth,
poor pole and timber quality and in some cases, complete
destruction and reduction of forest cover. Thus, trees
and forests need to be protected from these agents of
destruction.
Forest protection unit is concerned
with research on forest pests and diseases, right from
the seedling stage to the time a tree is felled for
poles and timber, and during use in furniture and construction.
The unit is also responsible for research on pests and
diseases of agroforestry trees, and for general advice
on forest pests and diseases control strategies.
Objectives
The objectives of the unit are to:
- gather information on the occurence and types of
forest pests and diseases in Uganda.
- develop control measures against pests and diseases
of forests, agroforestry trees, and poles, furniture
and timber.
- maintain and expand the forest insect museum at
Nakawa for future reference.
Achievements
- distribution of the cypress aphid and extent of
damage caused by the aphid on cypress plantations
has been determined.
- population of the cypress aphid in the most affected
forests has been determined.
- distribution of the leucaena psyllid and its impact
on leucaena cultivation countrywide has been determined.
- information on pests and diseases has been gathered
and is now available.
- chemicals effective in controlling termites on timber
and fence posts have been tested and recommended.
- biological control of the cypress and pine wooly
aphids using a parasitoid and predator respectively,
has been initiated.
- reference collection of forest insect pests has
been made and is available at Nakawa.
Current
research activities
- Monitoring the impact of the introduced biological
control agents on the agents on the cypress and pine
wooly aphids.
- Investigations into management of the leucaena psyllid
using cultural methods (crop mixtures).
- Survey of forest insect pests and diseases countrywide.
- Collection of insect pests of forests and trees
for expansion of the insect museum at Nakawa.
Future
research plans
- The unit plans to conduct research in the following
areas:
- Selection of plantation tree species resistant or
tolerant to insect pests and disease attack.
- Evaluation of traditional pest control strategies
used by tree growers with a view to determining the
most effective and appropriate methods for recommendation.
- Monitoring the impact of the introduced biological
control agents on the cypress and pine wooly aphids
will continue.
- More introductions and releases of biological control
agents for the cypress and pine wooly aphids are to
be made.
- Surveys on pests of logs and timber countrywide,
and development of appropriate and affordable control
measures will be initiated.
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