Preface

Abstract

The emerging pest and disease incursions in coconut growing countries result in great economic yield losses and negative impact to the industry, biodiversity loss, and disrupted native and agricultural system.Repeated use of the same active ingredient of pesticide to control pests and diseases could lead to pest and disease resistance. The inevitable effect of climate change, other environmental factors, and the destruction of natural enemies could trigger the incursion and migration of devastating pests and diseases. The massive planting and replanting could create homogeneity in coconut farms, predisposing these to disease infection and pest infestation. The concurrent reported outbreaks of Brontispa in Southeast Asia, Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle, Guam type (CRB-G) in Guam, and Asia-Pacic countries, Coconut Scale Insect in the Philippines, Lethal Yellowing in Jamaica, and Mexico, Bogia Coconut Syndrome in Papua New Guinea, Sexava, Rhyncophorus in Indonesia, and the recognition of the need to develop international biosecurity protocols for safe germplasm exchange have prompted the International Coconut Community (ICC) to hold the 1st IPM symposium.We know that pests and diseases reduced the ability of the industry to fully benefit from the market opportunities. In the face of this situation ICC Sessions and Ministerial meetings as the highest authority and the ICC recommended the ICC Secretariat to convene an IPM symposium to help countries overcome low coconut production due to pests and diseases.The general objective of the symposium is to establish an international IPM network system and synergy to protect the coconut producers & industries and conserve the coconut genetic resources and diversity from the adverse impact of pests and diseases through expertise and experience sharing.The specific objectives of the symposium are:1. To bring together key members of the scientific community for an interactive discussion on emerging issues and advances related to IPM, that will help enhance and develop IPM extension and research on invasive coconut pests and diseases2. To craft ecologically sound, science-based, and sustainable pest and disease management approaches based on IPM practices across countries.3. To create an international platform/network among coconut growing countries to strengthen the development of IPM strategies, pest and disease risk assessment, and inter-country collaborations that will address the research gaps and challenges of managing invasive pests/diseases losses and negative impact on the industry, biodiversity loss, and disrupted native and agricultural system.List of Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Associate Editor, Scientific Committee of IPM Symposium Proceedings are available in this Pdf.