Biological control experts are sending mites after their own kind as IITA and partners make headway in an initiative to naturally manage the most invasive and destructive pest of the crop, the coconut mite Aceria guerreronis Keifer.
The pest causes up to 60 percent loss in coconut production, directly affecting the food and income of millions of farmers already rattled by low prices of their produce and the high costs of farm inputs and labour.
Scientists working in a four year project to search for natural enemies of the deadly pest from its area of origin – the tropical belt in the Americas – have identified a predatory mite, Neoseiulus baraki, from Brazil. Experimental releases of the predator mite will start soon even as the project team continues to search for other promising natural enemies in the region.
“When organisms, like mites, that feed on plants invade areas with environments similar to their region of origin, they tend to develop large populations that can cause extensive damage to their primary host plants because they are free of their natural enemies that otherwise checked their spread in their place of origin,” explains Dr Rachid Hanna, biological control specialist with IITA.
“In this project, we are searching for and characterizing the biology and ecology of natural enemies of coconut mite in regions in the Americas that had not been previously explored. We will then conduct experimental releases in Africa and Asia of one or more natural enemies that are likely to be most effective in controlling the pest,” he added.
Under the biocontrol project, which started in 2008, IITA scientists work closely with agricultural research partners in Latin America, Africa, and Asia in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam in the Netherl ands. It is being implemented in Benin and Tanzania in Africa, and Sri Lanka in Asia.
In Tanzania, about 8 million people directly depend on the 25 million-plus coconut trees for their livelihoods. Coconuts are mostly found along the coastal belt as well as on the shores of Lake Nyasa, Tanganyika and Victoria. In Sri Lanka, coconut accounts for 21 percent of the agricultural l and use and about 2 percent of the country’s GDP. Coconut and coconut products also account for 2.5 percent of Sri Lanka’s total export earnings.
Commonly regarded as the “tree of life”, coconuts provide about half of the total household incomes of tropical coastal communities where the tree thrives. They are an excellent source of food, as well as oil for cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
Coconut by-products are used to make cakes for animal feed, while coconut shells are used as fuel for cooking, as extenders and fillers in plastics, and for making household items. In many countries in Africa, the leaves and poles are used as building material and for making furniture. In Asia, the husks are used to make ropes, mats, and eco-friendly erosion control nets, among others.
The project is funded by WOTRO, the science division of the Netherl ands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO), which supports scientific research on development issues.
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For more information, please contact:
Dr Rachid Hanna, r.hanna@cgiar.org
Biocontrol Specialist
IITA-Cameroon
Catherine Njuguna, c.njuguna@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (East & Southern Africa)
IITA-Tanzania
Jeffrey T. Oliver, o.jeffrey@cgiar.org
Corporate Communications Officer (International)
Communication Office
IITA Headquarters
Ibadan, Nigeria
URL: www.iita.org
About IITA
Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people’s lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization since 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by the CGIAR.
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