They are putting a stop to forest devastation

"It is the newly planted seedlings which the pine weevils like to eat most. Our research will involve the treatment of these seeds as seedlings when they are already at the nursery. They will be treated with compounds that are normally released by the plants in connection with their defence activation. The idea is that the plants planted in the clearings will react faster and stronger when they are subjected to stress, such as attacks from pine weevils or drought," says Anna Ohlsson, who along with Torkel Berglund is investigating a new method to reduce attacks from the pine weevils. Both of them are researchers in biochemistry at the School of Biotechnology, KTH.

“We are particularly interested in the role epigenetics plays in the activation of defence mechanisms in plants. Epigenetics is like cell software, which controls how genes (the hardware) are used," says Torkel Berglund.

The treatment is needed, because the pine weevil is a tough adversary and their attacks constitute a major problem in the forestry industry. Each year, about 350 million spruce and pine seedlings are planted in Sweden. If they are not protected against the pine weevil there is a risk that 80 percent of the plants will die, at least in southern and central Sweden.

“The pine weevil gives rise to costs for Sweden of SEK 100 million per year," says Anna Ohlsson.

The pre-treatment of seeds, however, is not new, but it has not been applied in forestry before. The specific substances that are being tested are natural and non-toxic. This new way of tackling the problem is a most welcome approach, for the previously so effective insecticides have - for environmental and toxicological reasons - just been banned. The remains of the toxins end up in the water and are toxic to aquatic organisms. Moreover, there is a risk to people who are forced to deal with the preparations.

“We have received very positive and inspiring research results, but these results must be consolidated in further studies. The pine weevil problem is a complex issue requiring long-term research. Our strategy is a simple, inexpensive alternative and a complement to the mechanical and physical protection that is available. If our method works well in practice, we can make a worthy contribution to the solution of the pine weevil problem, and it may also provide protection against drought stress on the sun-warmed open areas where the seedlings are planted," says Anna Ohlsson.

“An overall objective with our research is to get away from the use of hazardous chemicals in forestry, agriculture and horticulture,” says Torkel Berglund, who is also responsible for the course in Environmental Toxicology at KTH.

The research project is a collaboration between researchers from both biochemistry and organic chemistry at KTH and Dalarna University.
For more information, contact Anna Ohlsson at 08 - 55 37 83 82 or annao@biotech.kth.se.

Peter Larsson