Defoliation

Steven G. Candy

Steven G. Candy

Australian Antarctic Kingston, Tasmania, Australia

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Myron P. Zalucki

Myron P. Zalucki

The University of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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First published: 15 January 2013

Based in part on the article “Defoliation” by Steven G. Candy and Myron P. Zalucki, which appeared in the Encyclopedia of Environmetrics.

Abstract

From ancient times, mankind has attempted either to harness or to prevent defoliation of trees and plants. The positive and negative impact of defoliation by invertebrates (chiefly insects), vertebrates, plant diseases, or abiotic factors such as air pollution is an integral part of agriculture, forestry, and natural resource management. Defoliation is “an unseasonable reduction in the foliage cover of a plant due to attacks by insects or fungal disease, or as a result of other factors such as drought, storms, or chemicals in the atmosphere.” Defoliation encompasses partial or complete loss of the plant's foliage and individual leaves. The most significant impacts of natural defoliation are crop losses in agriculture and production forestry and, for native plant communities, possible changes in structure and species composition and loss of amenity values. It is not possible to review in this article the huge amount of information available on defoliation. In terms of measurement, estimation, or prediction, there are a number of commonalties across the range of activities in which quantification of defoliation is required.

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