DEVELOPMENT OF AN INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT

PACKAGE FOR THE ERIOPHYID MITE (Aceria guerreronis

KEIFER) OF COCONUT IN SOUTHERN STATES”

Dr.S. Palanisamy
Professor & Head
Dept. of Entomology
TNAU, Coimbatore
 HISTORY / INTRODUCTION

India Tamil Nadu (2000 - 01)

Total area 1.78 m. ha 0.32 m. ha

Production 13,000 m. nuts 3,158 m. nuts

Total trees affected 138.3 m. 0.15 m.

Loss in copra yield 10 - 30 %

COCONUT ERIOPHYID MITE, Aceria guerreronis K.

(Eriophyidae: Acari)
• First report - Guerrero State in Mexico in 1965.
• In India first report - Ernakulam district of Kerala and Pollachi
Taluk in Tamil Nadu in 1998.

Distribution : Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,

Lakshadweep Islands and Tamil Nadu and all
the major coconut growing States
Triangular yellow patch
Young nuts showing damage symptoms
Gummy exudation-splits
Severely infested nuts at harvest
A colony of eriophyid mite
Total life cycle : 7-9 days
Egg period : 2.5 - 4 days
Protonymph : 2 - 3 days
Deutonymph : 2 - 3 days
Adult mite : length 200-250µ
: width 36-52 µ
 Bio ecology
• Time of entry of mites into the bracts about
50 days after the opening of the
inflorescence

• Palms of all ages and nut colour were

infested

• A few mites were trapped in sticky traps set

at crown level- Air borne
 Population density of Aceria guerreronis
80
in nuts of different age
73

70
61
60
Number of mites / 4 sq. mm

50

39
40

30
24
20
20

9
10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6
Age of nuts (in months) (after fertilization)
Palmyra, Borassus flabellifer
new alternate host

Healthy Infested
Screening of coconut germplasms and
hybrids against eriophyid mite
Centre No. of Tolerant Mean
Genotypes genotypes grade
Aliyarnagar 27 Kenthali 1.1
Gangabondam 2.2

Veppankulam 33 Gangabondam 2.0

TNAU 30 Philippines 2.0

ordinary
 Predatory mites

Amblyseius Bdella sp.

paspalivorus (Bdellidae)
( Phytoseiidae )

• Predatory potential low

Effect of Ecofriendly agents against Mite
(Spot application)
Mean % reduction in
Treatments mite population after
3 rounds
Neem oil 3 % 65
Neem oil + Garlic 63
Emulsion 2%
Azadirachtin 1% 66
(5 ml/lit.)
FORS( 40 g/litre) 59
Effect of Azadirachtin against Mite
(Root feeding)
Mean % reduction
Treatments in mite population
after two rounds
Neemazal 5% 63
(7.5 ml+7.5 ml.)
Econeem plus 1% 54
(7.5 ml.+ 7.5 ml. water)
Econeem plus 1% 60
(10 ml.+ 10 ml. water)
 Effect of Insecticides against Mite
(Spot Application)
Acaricide / Insecticide Mean % reduction in
(ml. or g / lit) mite population after
3 rounds
Dicofol 18.5 EC (6 ml ) 62.0
Monocrotophos 36 SL(5ml) 70.6
Triazophos 40 EC (5ml) 73.7
Carbosulfan 25 EC (5 ml) 68.9
Wettable Sulphur 80 WP (6g) 61.8
Ethion 50 EC (4 ml) 58.0
 Effect of Insecticides against Mite
(Root Feeding)

Mean % reduction in
Acaricide / Insecticide mite Population after
two rounds
Monocrotophos 36 SL 73
(15ml +15 ml water/ tree)
Triazophos 40 EC 71
(15ml +15 ml water/ tree)
Carbosulfan 25 EC 79
(15ml +15 ml water/ tree)
Hirsutella thompsonii infected mite
Effect of mycohit against mite
(after 5 rounds*)
Mite Damage
Treatment population/ grade index
4 sq.mm.** at harvest
Mycohit 29.32 2.25
Control 30.20 2.15
*Five sprays at 7 days interval ;
** 15 days after last spraying
 IPM Package
(Agronomic practices)
• Application of recommended dose of N (urea – 1.3 kg) and P (Super
phosphate- 2kg) and increased dose of K (MoP-3.5kg) /tree/year

• Application of FYM 50 Kg and neem cake 5 Kg/tree/year

• Soil application of micronutrients as per local recommendation

Borax 50 g/tree/year
Gypsum 1.0 Kg/tree/year
Magnesium sulphate 0.5 Kg/tree/year
(or)
TNAU Micronutrient solution – 200 ml / tree

• Basin cultivation of a green manure crop like sunnhemp, cowpea,

calapagonium etc. and incorporating insitu.

• Judicious irrigation management and inter crop cultivation

Mulching of coconut leaves and husk in the basin
Recycling of bio-mass generated in the coconut ecosystem.
 IPM Package
(Plant protection)

• Spot (Topical) application of any one of the following ecofriendly

agents preferably during non rainy season (three sprays/year).

Azadirachtin 10000 ppm (1%) 5.0 ml/lit. of water

Neem oil 3% -30m1/lit of water
Neem oil (2%) + garlic extract (2%) /lit of water

• Root feeding can be adopted wherever spraying is difficult.

Azadirachtin 5% 7.5 ml.+7.5 ml. of water/ tree

(or)
Azadirachtin 1% 10 ml.+10 ml. of water/ tree
 Mite population
Pooled mean of 3 locations

Mite Population
(after two years)
Treatments
No./4 sq. % reduction
mm over control
IPM
package
15.6 50.6
Control 31.6 -
 Per cent green nut damage
(Pooled mean of bunch 4,5 and 6)

% damage
Treatments After II
Pre
year
IPM
64.5 42.6
package
Control 71.6 79.9
 Damage grade at
harvest
MGI
Treatments After 2
Pre
yrs
IPM package 4.1 2.7
Control 4.2 4.5

G1: No damage G2: 1 – 10% G3: 11-25% G4: 26-50% G5: >50 %
 Nut Yield
Yield
(nut/palm/year) % increase
Treatments in yield over
Pre II year control

IPM
package
98 148 45.1

Control 100 102 -

 Benefit Cost
Analysis
After two
Treatment
years
IPM
3.9
package
 Residue
Residue profile
profile of
of insecticides
insecticides applied
applied by
by
root
root feeding
feeding @@ 15
15 ml
ml +
+ 15
15 ml
ml of
of water
water

Max. Residue observed

(µg/g)- days Waiting
MRL
Insecticide Location period
(µg/g)
Water kernel (days)
30 45 30 45
Monocrotophos Aliyarnagar 0.05 BDL 0.28 BDL
45 0.01

Triazophos Aliyarnagar 0.06 BDL 0.28 BDL

60 0.01

Profenophos Bhavanisagar 0.04 BDL 0.19 BDL

60 0.01

BDL – Below Detectable Level