Abstract:
Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, the coffee berry borer is a serious threat for the majority of the world ‘s coffee growers and has proved to be one of the most intractable of today’s pests. Despite a great deal of research, control of the pest still depends largely on the application of the chemical (organochlorine) insecticide chloripyriphos, which does a heavy damage to the environment, and a series of cultural and biological control methods which give variable and unpredictable results. This research review summarizes the most important aspects of the biology and ecology of Hypothenemus hampei in coffee and its control organically. Emphasis is placed upon an analysis of the non-chemical control methods (organic method) tried in coffee fields and suggestions are offered for ecological and environmental sustainability for further research, in the search for viable and sustainable control methods. Three consecutive years’ experiments were conducted at the organic coffee fields of Loyola estate, Sirumalai near Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, South India during 2014, ‘15 and ‘16 to evaluate the bio efficiency of plant oils and leaves, garlic extracts against berry borers in the chosen organic coffee field. Among the plant oils tested, spot application of Neem and Pongamia seed oils along with emulsifier was found to be very effective in the initial stage causing 90 to 94 percent reduction in borer population over control after three rounds of spraying in the final year. The overall borer population was 90 percent reduced in the coffee plants sprayed with Neem and Pongamia oil 3% and 2% of garlic extract even at the later stage of borer attack. This was followed by strict regulation of shade as per integrated pest management techniques. The percent damaged green fruits in the first year were 36 % followed by 22% in the second year and 14% in the third year in treated plants against control. Further the mean grade index recorded at the time of harvest was also very low which statistically differed from chemically treated plants. The other plant oil formulations viz pongamia and iluppai were only less effective.
Keywords:
Coffee Berry Borer, Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, Coffea arabica, Organic Coffee fields, integrated pest Management system, Pongamia and Neem Oil, repellant, IPM