Coconut beetle management in Hainan Island, China: assessment of issues, new developments and future plans

摘要

Brontispa longissima is the most serious pest of coconut palms in Hainan where 11 species of palms have been attacked. When the beetle was first found, many quarantine measures were taken. The affected palms were cut down and burned, broad spectrum insecticides were screened and insecticide bags were inserted at the bases of the unopened leaves. A 3-kilometre buffer zone was established to prevent further spread. Traditional chemical control measures were used against the pest from 2002 to 2005. The treatments depressed the population of the beetle in the field and reduced the dispersal rate. About one million palms have since recovered. Two biological agents, a parasitoid (Tetrastichus brontispae) and an entomo-pathogenic fungus (Metarhizium anisopliae) have been tested successfully. The search for a synthetic mixture with the smallest possible number of constituents that possess the same attractant as fresh coconut leaves for Brontispa longissima and the development of this synthetic multicomponent is desirable and could play a role in biological plant protection.