Understanding Host Plant Resistance to Insect Pests and Strategies to Incorporate It in Forest Trees

When combined with other woodland stresses, introduced and native insects have the potential to kill large numbers of trees, impacting forest carbon budgets and climate change mitigation goals. If disturbance from insects, pests, and other bio-stresses is avoided by developing a sound forest management strategy, it is likely that the maximal C sequestration capacity of forests will be realised. Pesticides are used as main means of defence against insect pest problems because they offer an immediate fix. Chemical insect pest treatment is extremely expensive. Furthermore, the overuse and reckless application of pesticides to treat insect pest problems has significant repercussions for a variety of natural enemies, insect pollinators, natural enemies, health of people and the surrounding environment, culminating in the emergence of chemical resistance in insects. Therefore, in order to maintain the balance of the ecosystem, it is necessary to seek alternative insect-pest management strategies that take into account the minimal use of chemical insecticides as well as the protection and preservation of natural enemies. One such dependable strategy that can be used in pest management as an environmentally friendly management method is host plant resistance. Insect-resistant plant and tree development has been shown to have a sustained, cumulative effect on the population of insect pests and is also thought to be environmentally safe. However, the traditional methods for developing host plant resistance in trees can be time-consuming and demanding. Alternative biotechnological technologies, such as morphological, biochemical, or DNA marker-assisted selection, genome editing, and gene transformation, can be utilised to exploit insecticidal traits and adjust the intensity and pattern of genetic material expression. These methods can be utilised to develop unique plant resistance traits that safeguard forest trees against damaging insect-pests. Forest restoration and the reduction of carbon losses caused by these bio-stresses can both benefit from the use of biotechnological technologies for resistance against pests.