Insect Pests of Fruit, Plantation, Medicinal & Aromatic Crops (2+1)

Introduction

• Though over a hundred species of insects, a few invertebrates and mammals have been recorded as pests on coffee in India, only a few of them are economically important. Among coffee pests, insects form the major group. Coffee is a perennial plant and is subjected to attack by passing as well as sedentary insects. Almost all portions of coffee plants are susceptible to one pest or the other.
• In India, coffee is cultivated under shade trees, which greatly influences the microclimate in the coffee ecosystem. Coffee pests could be kept below economic injury level by adopting integrated management strategies such as anticipation and continuous monitoring of pest outbreaks, maintenance of optimum over-head shade for judicious management of ecological factors, handling and pruning of coffee bush, conservation and augmentation of indigenous natural enemies, introduction of exotic natural enemies and timely use of need based biopesticides / insecticides.
Bioecology and management of the important coffee pests are briefed below.

• Major pests of coffee are the white stem borer (Xylotrechus quadripes), Coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei), Short-hole borer (Xylosndrus compactus), Mealybugs (Planococcus citir & P.lilacinus), Green scale (Coccus viridis) and root lesion nematode (Pratylencbus coffeae).
• Apart from the above mentioned manor pests a few other pests are also considered as minor pests occasionally found on coffee. They are brown scale (Saissitia coffeae), cockchafers or white grubs (Holotricbia spp.), coffee bean beetle (Araecerus fasciculaturs), hairy caterpillars (Eupterote spp.), read borer (Zeuzera coffeae), snail (Ariophanta solata), Tailed mealybug (Ferrisia virgata),Termites or white ants and Thrips (Heliobtips baemorrboidalis, Retithrips syriacus, Scirtothrips bispinosus, Thrips nilgiriensis)