Josephrajkumar, A.

Mohan, Chandrika

Nair, C.P.R.

Rajan, P.

English

Update Publishing (E-Journals)

Rajan et al.140Coconut, Cocos nucifera L. popularly knownas Kalpavriksha, supports livelihood securities tomore than 10 million people in 18 States and 3 UnionTerritories of India. It has been providing food,drinks, nutrition, health, shelter, income and wealthfor mankind from time immemorial. The cropoccupies an area of 1.894 million ha with aproduction of 15,729 million nuts (2008-2009) andis a source of permanent income to 5 million farmfamilies (Mathew, 2008; DES, 2010). Coconut palmis attacked by a number of insects at all stages of itsgrowth. A total of 547 insects and mite species werereported as infesting coconut palm and copra invarious coconut growing countries of the world(Kurian et al., 1979). A recent incidence of coconutleaf beetle, Brontispa longissima Gestro(Chrysomelidae: Coleoptera) in Maldives and Unionof Myanmar, attacking the tender leaves of youngcoconut palms and its possible entry poses animminent threat to coconut industry in India(Rethinam and Singh, 2004). The countries to theWest of Myanmar, Bangladesh and India are at avery high level of risk, since the beetle will not bestopped at land borders. For a country like India,where coconut and coconut based industries supportmillions of people, the pest incursion would becatastrophic.Invasions by alien species imbalance nativeecosystems and many of them cause considerableeconomic loss in the initial phase of entry. Suchintruders are likely to breed profusely in the absenceof natural enemies in the newly found environmentand cause biotic upsets out-competing nativeAnother invasive pest, coconut leaf beetle, Brontispalongissima (Gestro), an imminent biosecurity threat at thedoorsteps of India(Manuscript Received: 22-01-11, Revised: 16-03-12, Accepted: 09-07-12)Keywords: Coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima, invasive pest, biosecurity threatspecies. According to International Union forConservation of Nature and Natural Resources, alieninvasive species (AIS) is one which becomesestablished in natural or semi-natural ecosystemsor habitat, and threatens native biological diversity.The spread of AIS is now recognized as one of thegreatest threats to the ecological and economicalwell being of the country. AIS have invaded nativebiota in virtually every ecosystem of earth causingeconomic damage to biodiversity and the valuablenatural agricultural system we depend upon (Sujayet al., 2010). Such outbreaks of exotic pests viz.,coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari(Kumar et al., 1990), serpentine leaf minerLiriomyza trifolii (Burgess) (Viraktamath et al.,1993), spiralling whitefly Aleurodicus dispersusRussell (Palanisamy et al., 1995), coconut eriophyidmite Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Sathiamma et al.,1998), erythrina gall wasp, Quadrasticus erythrinaeKim (Faizal et al., 2006), the eucalyptus gall waspLeptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle (Kumar et al.,2007), cotton mealy bug Phenacoccus solenopsis(Tinsley) (Jhala et al., 2008) and the papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granarade Willink (Muniappan et al., 2008) reported in Indiacaused severe economical loss to crops despiteseveral efforts made to combat them. A similarexperience should not be triggered by this alien pestwhich has almost reached the doorsteps of ourcountry, thereby pinpointing the necessity for strictquarantine measures.The introduction of new pests into a localitycan be through: (1) a host as the carrier, (2) inertShort  Scientific  Report Journal of Plantation Crops, 2012, 40(2): 140-143Coconut leaf beetle, another pest at the doorsteps of India141packing materials carrying the quiescent stages ofthe pest, (3) insect vectors, birds, air currents and(4) deliberate, illegal introduction as bio-weapons.Though the first two modes of distribution arecurtailed by quarantine measures, the latter two arebeyond the limitations of pest control by exclusion.This creates a need for bio-security involvingintegrated approach that encompasses the policy andregulatory frameworks to analyze and mange therisks in the sectors of food safety and otherenvironmental risks. Bio-security covers theintroduction of plant and animal pests and diseases,introduction of genetically modified organisms andtheir products and introduction and management ofinvasive alien species and genotypes (Shetty et al.,2008). As such it is a holistic concept having directrelevance to the sustainability of agriculture, foodsafety and protection of the environment includingbiodiversity. It is in this context the likely advent ofinvasive insect pest like B. longissima in India wouldbe devastating and more likely an issue of bio-security in our country.Coconut leaf beetle is one of the most seriousand devastating insect pests of coconut and otherpalms. Grubs and adult spiny beetles inhabit thedeveloping unopened leaves of the palm and feedon leaf tissues (Rethinam and Singh, 2004; Howardet al., 2001). As the pest continuously affectsdeveloping leaves, the inner whorl of leaves totallydry up. Severe attack results in complete defoliationof the palm. Prolonged attack particularly to youngpalms or those which are in poor growing conditionsmay result in death of palm. The productivity of thepalms is drastically affected due to sub lethal attackby the pest. The whole life cycle of the pest iscompleted on coconut palm itself and takes about5-7 weeks. Adult beetles are small, measuring 7.5-10.0 mm long and 1.5-2.0 mm wide, with aconspicuous orange to reddish pronotum. The fullgrown grubs measure 8-10 mm. Pupae areyellowish- white in colour measuring 8-10 mm withdistally U-shaped hooks. Symptoms and variousstages of the pest are illustrated in Fig. 1 (CourtesyAPCC/FAO). The beetle attacks more than 20 palmspecies of which coconut (Cocos nucifera) is themost favoured host. Other hosts include Royal palm(Roystonea sp.), Alexandria palm (Archontophoenixalexandrae), Sago palm (Metroxylon sagu),California fan palm (Washingtonia filifera), Mexicanfan palm (W. robusta), bottle palm (Hyophorbelagenicaulis), Chinese fan palm (Livistoniachinensis), Madagascar palm (Chrysalidocarpuslutescens), arecanut palm (Areca catechu), toddypalm (Caryota urens), dwarf date palm (Phoenixroebelenii), nipa palm (Nypa fruiticans), Samoapalm (Clinostigma sp.), spear palm (Balaka sp.) andoil palm (Elaeis guineensis). The pest was alsoreported from an ornamental cycad fern, Cycas sp.in Vietnam (Rethinam and Singh, 2004; FAO, 2004).B. longissima was originally described in1885 from Aru Islands in Indonesia and from PapuaNew Guinea. Over a period of 124 years, it haswidely spread in over 25 countries in Asia, Australiaand Pacific Islands attacking a number of cultivatedand wild ornamental palm species in addition tococonut palm. It is currently distributed in Australia,Pacific Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia,Laos, Thailand, Veitnam, Maldives, Philippines,Myanmar and China (Rethinam and Singh, 2004).In Solomon Islands, it was estimated thatabout 5% of infested palms die annually. In 1980,coconut palms grown in more than 10,000 ha areain seven provinces in Indonesia were attacked bythis beetle. In Maldives, pest outbreaks occurred onseveral islands of South Ariatoll causing extensivedamage to coconut production in inhabited anduninhabited islands (FAO, 2004). Coconut leafbeetle had caused serious threats to the incomegeneration from tourism industry as well as foodsecurity in countries like Maldives, Thailand andVietnam (FAO, 2004).Fig. 1. Coconut leaf beetle (Brontispa longissima) - different growthstages and damage symptomsRajan et al.142Regular and periodic surveillance surveyssince 2007 by Central Plantation Crops ResearchInstitute (CPCRI), Regional Station, Kayamkulamhave not revealed the incidence of B. longissima inany close proximal air port regions ofThiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Chennai, Kolkatta,Mumbai, Rajmundry, Vijayawada as well as seaportregions of Kochi, Vishakapatnam and Tuticorinduring the past three years. Systematic surveys hadbeen conducted by the Institute in all possible portsof entry and their immediate local niches so as tolocate its incidence if any. So far in our studies, wecould not locate its presence in any of these localities(CPCRI, 2008; CPCRI, 2009). Coconut palms inMinicoy, Kavaratti and Kalpeni Islands (UnionTerritory of Lakshadweep) on account of its closeproximity to Maldives were also thoroughlyexamined recently and the survey could not identifyany damage symptoms or the presence ofB. longissima. Awareness about the pest and itsdamage potential on coconut were imparted toOfficials from Department of Agriculture, Kavaratti,Minicoy and Kalpeni as a measure of pest alertness.Entry of this leaf beetle in new areas can bechecked possibly through mechanical blockading,need based application of insecticides andaugmentative release of natural enemies. Twoparasitoids of coconut leaf beetle viz., Tetrastichusbrontispae Ferriere (Hymenoptera : Eulophidae), apupal parasitoid and Asecodes hispinarum Boucek(Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a larval parasitoid havebeen successfully used in several countries to controlthe beetle. Use of entomopathogenic fungus,Metarhizium anisopliae against the pest is alsodocumented (FAO, 2004).Strict quarantine laws curbing the movementof all types of coconut materials and other hostpalms particularly ornamental palms from pestinfested countries should be enforced, as the mainsource of spread of this pest within the Asia-Pacificregion is through shipment of ornamental palmsfrom countries having the pest infestation. Shiftingof soil and organic materials also should be passedthrough strict quarantine measures. In thecollection of germplasm materials and exchangeof genetic resources between countries rigourousquarantine steps are to be meticulously followed(Rajan et al., 2009a; 2009b). Passengers travelingfrom beetle-infested countries should beencouraged to examine their baggage for thepresence of the beetle / eggs / larvae to avoidaccidental introduction of the pest.As the spread of the pest from Maldives andUnion of Myanmar to India can happen at any time,regular surveillance for the pest should beundertaken in the Southern and North-Eastern statesof India. Since plants and planting materials areimported through prescribed sea ports and air ports,areas nearby these should be monitored at regularintervals for locating the pest (Rajan et al., 2009a;2009b).There is a need for educating the coconutfarmers and developmental workers about the pestand its bio-ecology so that they will be able tomonitor the pest effectively in their areas ofoperation. Organizing seminars, awarenessprogrammes, pest alert notifications, presentationof bulletins on B. longissima would be helpful inbuilding up an awareness and vigilance on the pest.Awareness creation and capacity building throughtraining programmes is essential to contain theproblem at this point of time. Both aerial and marinetrans-shipment have to be covered under theumbrella of quarantine measures. Necessaryphytosanitary certification by authorized agenciesmust be strictly enforced for the import of plantingmaterials especially various palm species from pestaffected countries. The possible ports of entry inSouth and North-East part of the country must exertstrict measures on these aspects.In the present context, utmost importanceshould be given to prevent the spread of coconutleaf beetle to new areas and countries which arehitherto not infested through rigorous quarantinemeasures and continuous surveillance programmes(Changchui, 2007). For this to happen it is importantfor countries to work in synergy particularly whenthey share common land borders. In this respect,FAO/APCC can take a leading role to facilitateco-operation between countries and to provide technicalassistance to build capacity to tackle this invasive pest.India should take a lead to form a consortium forpreventing the spread of the pest into new areas,Coconut leaf beetle, another pest at the doorsteps of India143CPCRI, Regional Station, Kayamkulam - 690 533,Alappuzha district, KeralaP. Rajan*C.P.R. NairA. JosephrajkumarChandrika Mohanemergency preparedness to deal with accidentalentry and pest-risk analysis for effectivemanagement of this invasive pest.ReferencesChangchui, H. 2007. Consultative Meeting on IPM of CoconutLeaf Beetle, 27-28, February 2007, Bangkok, Thailand.CPCRI, 2008. Annual Report 2007-08, Central Plantation CropsResearch Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala, India 111 p.CPCRI, 2009. Annual Report 2008-09, Central Plantation CropsResearch Institute, Kasaragod, Kerala, India 145 p.DES, 2010. Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministryof Agriculture, http://coconutboard.nic.inFaizal, M.H., Prathapan, K.D., Anith, K.N., Mary, C.A., Lekha,M. and Rini, C.R. 2006. Erythrina gall wasp,Quadrastichus erythrinae, yet another invasive pestnew to India. Curr. Sci. 90(8): 1061-1062FAO, 2004. Report of the expert consultation on coconut beetleoutbreak in APPPC member countries RAPPublications, 2004/29, 141p.Howard, F.W., Moore, D., Giblin-Davis, R.M. and Abad, R.M.2001. Insects on palms, CAB International, 400 p.Jhala, R.C., Bharpoda, T.M. and Patel, M.G. 2008. Phenacoccussolenopsis Tinsley (Hemiptera : Pseudococcidae), themealy bug species recorded first time on cotton and itsalternate host plants in Gujarat, India. Uttar PradeshJournal of Zoology 28(3): 403-406.Kumar, S.S., Kant, S.K. and Emmanuel, T. 2007. Emergenceof gall inducing insect Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) in Eucalyptus plantations in Gujarat, India.Indian Forester 133: 566-1568.Kumar, V.P.K., Prakasam, C.V. and Vijayalakshmi, C. D. 1990.Coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera:Scolytidae): first record from India. J. Coffee Res., 20:161-164.Kurian, C., Sathiamma, B. and Pillai, G.B. 1979. Worlddistribution of pests of coconut. FAO Technicaldocument, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the FarEast, Bangkok, Thailand, 119: 53 p.Mathew, M.T. 2008. Organic Farming in Coconut: Problemsand Prospects. In: National Conference on OrganicFarming in Horticultural Crops with Special Referenceto Plantation Crops, (Eds) Thomas, G.V., Karun, A.,Maheshwarappa, H.P., Subramanian, P., Naresh Kumar,S. Oct 15-18, 2008, C.P.C.R.I, Kasaragod. pp 15-22.Muniappan, R., Shepard, B.M., Watson, G. W., Carner, G. R.,Sartiami, D., Rauf, A. and Hammig, D. 2008. FirstReport of the Papaya Mealybug, Paracoccusmarginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in Indonesiaand India. J. Agric. Urban Entomol.  25(1): 37-40.Palanisamy, M. S., Pillai, K. S., Nair, P.R. and Mohandas, C. 1995.A new cassava pest in India. Cassava Newsl., 19: 6-7.Rajan, P., Nair, C.P.R., Josephrajkumar, A. and ChandrikaMohan. 2009a. Coconut leaf beetle, Brontispalongissima- An invasive pest of concern. IndianCoconut J. 52(6): 8-11.Rajan, P., Nair, C.P.R., Josephrajkumar, A. and ChandrikaMohan. 2009b. Technical folder on coconut leaf beetle,CPCRI Publication.Rethinam, P. and Singh, S.P. 2004. Coconut hispine beetle,Brontispa longissima Gestro (Coleoptera :Chrysomelidae). Cord. 20(1): 1-20Sathiamma, B., Nair, C.P.R. and Koshy, P.K. 1998. Outbreakof nut infesting eriophyid mite Eriophyes guerreronis(K) in coconut plantation in India. Indian Coconut J.29: 1-3.Shetty, P.K., Ajay Parida and Swaminathan, M.S. 2008.Biosecurity. National Institute of Advanced Studies,255 p.Sujay, Y.H., Sattagi, H.N. and Patil, K.K. 2010. Invasive alieninsects and their impact on agroecosystem. KarnatakaJ. Agric. Sci. 23(1): 26-34Viraktamath, C.A., G.C. Tewari., K. Srinivasan and M. Gupta.1993. American serpentine leaf miner is a new threatto crops. Indian Farming 43: 10-12.*Corresponding Author: rajanpmenon@gmail.com

Another invasive pest, coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro), an imminent biosecurity threat at the doorsteps of India

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Another invasive pest, coconut leaf beetle, Brontispa longissima (Gestro), an imminent biosecurity threat at the doorsteps of India

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