Establishment and monitoring of a sentinel garden of Asian tree species in Florida to assess potential insect pest risks

Sentinel gardens are a proactive and effective tool for detecting potential pest and pathogen threats before they establish in new regions. By observing interactions between native insects and non-native plants, sentinel gardens provide direct assessments of biological risks posed by these novel interactions. As part of a global sentinel garden network, six ecologically and economically significant Asian tree species were planted in a sentinel garden established by the Forest Entomology Lab at the University of Florida in 2022. The primary goal was to detect local insect species capable of colonizing Asian tree species, which could become serious invasive pests if they are introduced to Asia. This effort complements reciprocal sentinel gardens of American trees planted in Asia. To date, five tree species have successfully established under the conditions in Florida, allowing for herbivory observations. Monitoring revealed frequent, non-lethal herbivory by various Lepidoptera across most tree species, and by sawflies on Chinese pines. Only secondary woodborers were observed colonizing dead twigs and stems, with no evidence of wood borer attacks on living trees or tree mortality.