Control Of Coffee Berry Borer Research Articles

A coffee agroecosystem model: III. Parasitoids of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

Parasitoids native to tropical Africa have been released in the Americas for the biological control of the coffee berry borer (CBB), but their establishment has been checkered. A tritrophic distributed maturation time model for the coffee plant – CBB – three parasitoids (Phymastichus coffea, Cephalonomia stephanoderis, Prorops nasuta) system was proposed by Gutierrez et al. (1998). Based on this pioneering work, and improved models for coffee and CBB (Rodríguez et al., 2011, 2013), we present an updated version of the parasitoid models. The new elements in this analysis include:1.New data on the biology and behavior of the parasitoids are added.2.A fourth parasitoid (Cephalonomia hyalinipennis) is added to the system.3.Interspecific competitive interactions among parasitoids (e.g., dyadic contests, intra-guild predation and hyperparasitism) and their effects on the control of CBB are explored.Because field data on the effectiveness of the parasitoids on CBB control is sparse, we assessed the efficacy of the parasitoids for control of CBB heuristically. The results are compared to prior analyses, and are related to field observations. Specifically, we found:1.Control of CBB by betilid parasitoids (Cephalonomia stephanoderis, Cephalonomia hyalinipennis and Prorops nasuta) is ineffective because of their low reproductive capacity relative to CBB, their host-feeding behavior, and phenological mismatches with CBB life stages.2.Of the parasitoids, the eulophid P. coffea has the greatest potential to suppress CBB infestation levels, though the fungal pathogen B. bassiana and insecticides are reported to have detrimental effects on its establishment and dynamics.

Predation by flat bark beetles (Coleoptera: Silvanidae and Laemophloeidae) on coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Hawaii coffee

Coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a serious pest of coffee worldwide and a new invasive pest in Hawaii. Adult flat bark beetles, mainly Leptophloeus sp. (75%) and Cathartus quadricollis (21%) (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae and Silvanidae, respectively), were found inside CBB-infested coffee beans on the tree and molecular marker studies confirmed feeding on CBB. Research was conducted to better understand the ecology of these predators and explore ways to increase their role in suppressing CBB populations in coffee. Laboratory feeding assays demonstrated the capacity for adult and larval flat bark beetles to feed on all CBB life stages. The predators are widely distributed in the coffee growing areas on the island of Hawaii, but feed mainly in dried coffee on the tree rather than in ripening berries where initial crop damage occurs. Berlese funnel extraction of flat bark beetles from dried beans on the tree indicated that predator numbers can be relatively high (up to 23 adult predators per 150 bean sample). C. quadricollis was not susceptible to infection by the fungal biopesticide Beauveria bassiana which is used for field control of CBB in coffee. Leptophloeus sp. and C. quadricollis can be raised easily on a diet of cracked corn and cornmeal. Augmentative releases of generalist flat bark beetle predators like Leptophloeus sp. and C. quadricollis may be a useful component of integrated pest management programs against coffee berry borer and other scolytine pests.

Integrated Pest Management of Coffee Berry Borer: Strategies from Latin America that Could Be Useful for Coffee Farmers in Hawaii.

The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is the primary arthropod pest of coffee plantations worldwide. Since its detection in Hawaii (September 2010), coffee growers are facing financial losses due to reduced quality of coffee yields. Several control strategies that include cultural practices, biological control agents (parasitoids), chemical and microbial insecticides (entomopathogenic fungi), and a range of post-harvest sanitation practices have been conducted to manage CBB around the world. In addition, sampling methods including the use of alcohol based traps for monitoring CBB populations have been implemented in some coffee producing countries in Latin America. It is currently unclear which combination of CBB control strategies is optimal under economical, environmental, and sociocultural conditions of Hawaii. This review discusses components of an integrated pest management program for CBB. We focus on practical approaches to provide guidance to coffee farmers in Hawaii. Experiences of integrated pest management (IPM) of CBB learned from Latin America over the past 25 years may be relevant for establishing strategies of control that may fit under Hawaiian coffee farmers’ conditions.

A Keystone Ant Species Provides Robust Biological Control of the Coffee Berry Borer Under Varying Pest Densities.

Species’ functional traits are an important part of the ecological complexity that determines the provisioning of ecosystem services. In biological pest control, predator response to pest density variation is a dynamic trait that impacts the provision of this service in agroecosystems. When pest populations fluctuate, farmers relying on biocontrol services need to know how natural enemies respond to these changes. Here we test the effect of variation in coffee berry borer (CBB) density on the biocontrol efficiency of a keystone ant species (Azteca sericeasur) in a coffee agroecosystem. We performed exclosure experiments to measure the infestation rate of CBB released on coffee branches in the presence and absence of ants at four different CBB density levels. We measured infestation rate as the number of CBB bored into fruits after 24 hours, quantified biocontrol efficiency (BCE) as the proportion of infesting CBB removed by ants, and estimated functional response from ant attack rates, measured as the difference in CBB infestation between branches. Infestation rates of CBB on branches with ants were significantly lower (71%-82%) than on those without ants across all density levels. Additionally, biocontrol efficiency was generally high and did not significantly vary across pest density treatments. Furthermore, ant attack rates increased linearly with increasing CBB density, suggesting a Type I functional response. These results demonstrate that ants can provide robust biological control of CBB, despite variation in pest density, and that the response of predators to pest density variation is an important factor in the provision of biocontrol services. Considering how natural enemies respond to changes in pest densities will allow for more accurate biocontrol predictions and better-informed management of this ecosystem service in agroecosystems.

Controle massal da broca-do-café com armadilhas de garrafa Pet vermelha em cafeeiro

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficácia de armadilha de garrafa Pet vermelha contendo compostos voláteis alcoólicos atrativos, no controle massal da broca-do-café (Hypothenemus hampei). As avaliações foram realizadas em quatro lavouras de café, durante dois anos. Foram distribuídas 900 armadilhas de garrafa Pet, pintadas de vermelho, em três das quatro lavouras; uma lavoura sem armadilhas foi usada como controle. O broqueamento dos frutos (%) foi determinado nessas lavouras. Houve redução do broqueamento de frutos nas lavouras com armadilhas, da safra 2007/2008 para a safra 2008/2009. As maiores densidades da broca-do-café nas armadilhas foram observadas nos estádios de floração e de frutos chumbinho. A armadilha de garrafa Pet vermelha é eficaz no controle massal da população da broca-do-café, por reduzir a percentagem de frutos broqueados em 57%; entretanto, essa redução não é suficiente para manter as densidades da broca abaixo do nível de controle.

Controle químico da broca-do-café com cyantraniliprole

Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari, 1867) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) is a worldwide coffee pest. It is the most important pest to Coffea canephora Pierre & Froehner and the second to Coffea arabica L. in Brazil. The chemical control is the most efficient method to its control and the endosulfan is the most efficient chemical. This ciclodieno chlorinated compound is permitted in Brazil until July 2013. The objective of this study was to observe the efficiency of the cyantraniliprole 100 OD insecticide in spraying system to coffee berry borer control compared to the endosulfan 350 EC. The cyantraniliprole was sprayed at doses of 0.75, 1.0, 1.25, 1.5, 1.75, 2.0 liters c.p. /ha and endosulfan at 1.5 and 2.0 liters c.p. /ha. Two applications with 30 days interval were used at the “transit” time of the berry borer. Efficiency of the products was evaluated by counting the number of the living borer inside of damaged fruits in a liter of coffee (around 700 fruits) collected randomly in plots. All treatments differed from the control treatment but did not differ among them. Control treatment showed 35.7% of living borer, while doses of 1.75 and 2.0 liters of cyantraniliprole/ha, 3.5 and 4.0%, respectively. Treatment with endosulfan at 1.5 and 2.0 liters/ha showed 1.0 and 0.8% of living borer, respectively, and did not differ from cyantraniliprole. The results indicate that the cyantraniliprole 100 OD is effective in controlling H. hampei at doses between 1.75 and 2.0 liters /ha with two spraying.

Possibility of Use of Agricultural Byproducts for Mass Production of <em>Beauveria bassiana</em> (Balsamo) Vuillemin to Control Coffee Berry Borer (<em>Hypothenemus hampi</em> (Ferrari))

Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari)) is the most frequently occurring and destructive pest of coffee (Coffea spp.) in Sri Lanka. Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuellemin is an entomopathogenic fungus that has a great potential as a biological control agent for the control of coffee berry borer. An experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of different agricultural byproducts including five solid substrates i.e. coir dust, saw dust, refused tea, disposable parts of maize cob (pith + chaff + woody ring) and oil cake, and two liquid substrates i.e. coconut water and molasses. Mass production was done under two temperature levels, at room temperature (30 ± 20C) under incubator temperature (25 ± 20C). Fungus was inoculated into sterilized solid and liquid substrates in equal concentrations. Inoculated substrates were placed in the incubator and under room temperature and experiment continued for 8 weeks. The highest number of spores were observed in molasses (6.9475x1013 spores/ml) among all the tested substrates. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) with respect to the spore production in all substrates at room and incubator temperatures. Optimum spore production was achieved 42 days after inoculation of the fungus in all substrates irrespective of the temperature.

Sequences and transcriptional analysis of Coffea arabica var. Caturra and Coffea liberica plant responses to coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attack

The coffee berry borer (CBB) is the most prevalent pest of coffee plantations. Within the Coffea genus, C. arabica is susceptible to CBB and C. liberica shows a lower susceptibility. Two EST libraries were constructed from the total RNA of C. arabica and C. liberica fruits artificially infested with CBBs for 24 h. Using 6000 clones sequenced per library, a unigene database was generated, obtaining 3634 singletons and 1454 contigs. For each contig, the proportion of sequences present in both species was determined and a differential gene expression between the species was detected. C. arabica displayed a higher relative expression of proteins involved in general stress responses, whereas C. liberica showed the induction of a higher number of insect defense proteins. In order to validate the results, quantifications through real-time PCR were done. A hevein-like protein, an isoprene synthase, a salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase and a patatin-like protein gene were highly upregulated in C. liberica at 24 and/or 48 h after insect infestation compared to C. arabica. The identification of metabolic pathways induced by this pest insect provides tools to take advantage of the genetic resources available for the control of CBB.

Establishment of exotic parasitoids of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in Colombia through farmer participatory research

A participatory project was conducted with small-scale coffee growers from Quindio Department, Colombia. In 34 coffee lots in three municipalities, growers implemented an integrated management programme against the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, based on improved cultural harvesting and sanitation practices (to remove breeding habitats) and releases of exotic parasitoids. Growers released over 10 million Cephalonomia stephanoderis and 5 million Prorops nasuta (both Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) over 2 years. Populations of the CBB declined from a range of 7–14% infested berries (Quimbaya), 10–13% (Montenegro) and 15–48% (Buenavista) prior to the integrated pest management programme, to an average of 2.1 ± 0.2% infested berries in Quimbaya, 3.5 ± 0.2% in Montenegro and 2.8 ± 2.1% in Buenavista, over the following 25 months. Damage to parchment coffee similarly declined during this period. Six months after the final release of parasitoids had been made, we found both parasitoid species established in all three municipalities. However, P. nasuta were recovered more frequently (in 71.4% of lots where they were previously released) compared with C. stephanoderis (recovered in 30.8% of release lots). Average parasitism rates remained low, i.e. 3.7% for P. nasuta and 2.9% for C. stephanoderis . This low rate was probably due to the frequent manual removal of mature berries containing developing parasitoid larvae. In addition, the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana was observed on average on 9.5% adult CBB in Montenegro, compared with mean infection rates of 4.3 and 4.4% in Quimbaya and Buenavista, respectively. Cultural harvesting and sanitation is an important component of CBB control, although it may limit the impact of the pest's parasitoids.

Life table of Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) in relation to coffee berry phenology under Colombian field conditions

The overlap of generations of coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) under field conditions in countries like Colombia hinders the construction of life tables by the sampling of natural populations. In this paper, a field methodology to carry out regular measurements of CBB cohorts inside coffee berries of different ages until harvest, both in coffee trees and in infested berries placed on the ground, is developed and used to compare the life history parameters of CBB. Populations with berries at six ages in three experimental stations (without CBB control) and in a commercial farm in Colombia (with chemical CBB control regularly carried out) were used. The duration of the pre-oviposition period as well as the mortality and survival rates of founder females and the proportion of founders leaving infested berries were strongly influenced by the consistency of berries, with optimum conditions for CBB reproduction as from 120-150 days after flowering. No differences were found between stations for the number of CBB developmental stages; but they had larger values than the commercial farm. The latter also had more than twice the average rate of founders leaving infested berries recorded in the stations. Survival functions (cumulative probabilities of survival) for the pest differed among treatments and between the plant and ground micro-environments. Age of berries at infestation was positively related to the intrinsic rate of increase of borer population; whilst generation time and doubling time were inversely related. No differences were found between sites for the main demographic parameters of the pest.

Chemical cues from the coffee berry borer influence the locomotory behaviour of its bethylid parasitoids

Cephalonomia stephanoderis and Prorops nasuta are two bethylid wasps released into several Latin American countries for classical biological control of coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, the most serious insect pest of coffee worldwide. Recent studies on the host location behaviour of these parasitoids have shown that females of both species are attracted to volatile compounds released by immature stages and dust and frass of H. hampei. In this study, we investigated the role of the contact chemicals present in dust and frass of H. hampei on the behaviour of P. nasuta and C. stephanoderis females. Parasitoids remained longer on patches treated with methanol extracts than on acetone and hexane extracts. Females spent more time on the patch treated with the methanol extract of dust and frass than on the patches treated with the methanol extract of dry coffee and methanol control. The concentration of the methanol extracts from dust and frass influenced the locomotory activity of parasitoids of both species. The time that females spent in the patch tended to increase as the concentration of the methanol extracts increased. A further experiment aimed to identify other behavioural descriptors and gain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying the response of parasitoids to methanol extracts was performed. Females of both species spent more time, covered more distance, turned more (per unit time and per unit distance), and decreased their speed when they contacted patches treated with methanol extracts in comparison to patches treated with methanol control.

Susceptibilidad del parasitoide Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) a Beauveria bassiana en condiciones de laboratorio

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most important coffee pest worldwide. Beauveria bassiana is a generalist entomopathogenic fungus widely used by coffee farmers to control this pest and Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is an African endoparasitoid of H. hampei adults, recently imported to several Latin American and Caribbean countries to aid in the coffee berry borer control. The objective of this study was to determine if B. bassiana is detrimental to P. coffea. The susceptibility of the parasitoid was evaluated in terms of adult survivorship, mean lethal concentration (LC50), mean lethal time (LT50), reproduction and immature mortality. The main effect of the fungus resulted in reduction of adult longevity and mortality of 100% for immature stages of this parasitoid. The LC50 for adults was 0.11% equivalent to 9.53 x 10(7) conidia/ml of B. bassiana and a LT50 of 29.4h, equivalent to reduction of 22% of its normal longevity as an adult. P. coffea was capable of disseminating spores of B. bassiana to non-infected H. hampei adults, which could indirectly cause the death of its own progeny. These results could be valuable when considering the use of both organisms in the field, especially in an integrated pest management program.

Where to sample? Ecological implications of sampling strata in determining abundance and impact of natural enemies of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Americas and Asia as biological control agents of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These parasitoids have become established in the field but their effect on the CBB has been limited. A two-year field study in Western Kenya has found Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) to be the predominant parasitoid emerging from CBB-infested coffee berries collected on coffee trees or from the ground. P. nasuta comprises more than 75% of the total natural enemies collected. The density of P. nasuta was 90% higher in the berries collected from the ground than from the trees. Its hyperparasitoid, Aphanogmus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae), also emerged from both type of berries. Across the two seasons, the average P. nasuta density per berry was 18–35 times higher than that of Aphanogmus sp. Throughout the two years sampled, significantly higher numbers of P. nasuta and Aphanogmus sp. occurred between February and March, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Higher numbers of live CBB females were recorded in berries collected from the trees. Nevertheless, mortality of adult CBB was considerably higher from January to March and started to decrease from April onwards. The possibly negative effects of cultural control practices in Latin America which include the removal of berries fallen to the ground on biological control of CBB are discussed, and the use of screened collection devices for these berries which would permit the release of parasitoids but prevent escape of the pest is proposed.

An α-amylase inhibitor gene from Phaseolus coccineus encodes a protein with potential for control of coffee berry borer ( Hypothenemus hampei)

Plant α-amylase inhibitors are proteins found in several plants, and play a key role in natural defenses. In this study, a gene encoding an α-amylase inhibitor, named α AI- Pc1, was isolated from cotyledons of Phaseolus coccineus. This inhibitor has an enhanced primary structure to P. vulgaris α-amylase inhibitors (α-AI1 and α-AI2). The α AI- Pc1 gene, constructed with the PHA-L phytohemaglutinin promoter, was introduced into tobacco plants, with its expression in regenerated (T0) and progeny (T1) transformant plants monitored by PCR amplification, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblot analysis, respectively. Seed protein extracts from selected transformants reacted positively with a polyclonal antibody raised against αAI-1, while no reaction was observed with untransformed tobacco plants. Immunological assays showed that the α AI- Pc1 gene product represented up to 0.05% of total soluble proteins in T0 plants seeds. Furthermore, recombinant α AI- Pc1 expressed in tobacco plants was able to inhibit 65% of digestive H. hampei α-amylases. The data herein suggest that the protein encoded by the α AI- Pc1 gene has potential to be introduced into coffee plants in order to increase their resistance to the coffee berry borer.

Biological control of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) by Phymastichus coffea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in Colombia

The potential of the eulophid parasitoid Phymastichus coffea LaSalle to control coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) populations under field conditions in Colombia was evaluated. Parasitoid adults were released one, five and nine days after artificial infestations of 90-, 150- and 210-day-old coffee berries with H. hampei females. The position of the beetle inside the berry and the parasitism levels were assessed ten days after each P. coffea release. Parasitism of H. hampei by P. coffea was significantly affected by the age of the berries at the time of infestation, and by the position of the beetle inside the berries. Highest levels of parasitism were recorded in 150-day-old berries (75-85%) and in 90-day-old berries (75%) when P. coffea were released one day after the artificial infestation with H. hampei. In 150-day-old berries, highest levels of parasitism were recorded for H. hampei found in the outer layer of the endosperm followed by beetles penetrating the exocarp. Increasing the time of P. coffea releases after the artificial infestations with H. hampei led to decreased levels of parasitism in beetles attacking 90- and 150-day-old coffee berries. Low levels of parasitism were recorded in H. hampei females infesting older coffee berries because most of the beetles had already constructed galleries deep in the endosperm of the berries, i.e. out of reach of the parasitoid. The potential of P. coffea for biological control of coffee berry borer in Colombia is discussed.

Comparison of two release techniques for the use of Cephalonomia stephanoderis (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae), to control the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in Soconusco, southeastern Mexico

Cephalonomia stephanoderis Betrem (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) is one of the few known natural enemies of the coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), the most important pest of coffee throughout the world. The response of this parasitoid to its host, in field cages and small field sites, was shown to be highly variable and unpredictable and between 62% and 96% of all parasitioids released did not enter a target CBB-infested coffee berry. The parasitoid did not respond differently to aggregations of 2, 6, or 12 CBB-infested berries. However, the performance of C. stephanoderis released as a culture of parasitized hosts was up to five times better than when the parasitoid was released in the traditional manner as adults because a greater proportion of the parasitoids released as a culture entered and remained within target berries. Individual performance was, however, similar for both release methods; a single parasitoid killed, on average, by a combination of parasitism and predation, between 3.75 and 18.74 individual CBB. The release of C. stephanoderis as a culture offers an important step forward in the technology for the use of this parasitoid. However, estimates indicate that, even when released as a culture, very large numbers of parasitoids (e.g., 59 million per hectare, to control a 65% CBB infestation in a densely planted, productive plantation, towards harvest time) would be necessary to control CBB. This method of CBB control is unlikely therefore to be economically viable.

Determination of factors influencing integrated pest management adoption in coffee berry borer in Colombian farms

Integrated pest management is promoted in coffee plantations to control pests and disease in a manner less harmful to the environment than the use of pesticides alone. The rate of adoption of these practices is variable, possibly influenced by different social, economic, environmental and institutional factors. This was explored by fitting standard non-linear curves to uptake data for each of four chosen integrated pest management (IPM) recommendations for control of coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), in Colombian coffee. Logistic curves were shown to be the most efficient for all four recommendations. Logistic regression analysis was then used to determine the impact of different factors upon the uptake of the recommendations singly and in combination. Comparisons are made between the results of the analyses to confirm the choice of the single or combined datasets and the reliability of the models. The results showed that different factors affected the adoption processes at different stages in time for the different recommendations, both when used singly and when in combination. A link was demonstrated between level of education, wealth of the farmer and choice of recommendation, poorer farmers choosing recommendations that did not require a large financial outlay or which required a high level of technological skill. Suggestions for more controlled studies of adoption are presented.