New coconut pest reaches RP shores

A destructive coconut pest believed to have reached Philippines shores about two years ago is now posing a threat to the country’s palm sector.

Named coconut hispine beetle (scientific name: Brontispa longissima Gestro), it is one of the most damaging pests of coconut and other palm species.

The beetle is endemic to Sulawesi (Indonesia) and Papua New Guinea and spread in the late 1990s to Southeast Asia and Maldives.

It was presumably introduced in the Philippines in early 2004 through the importation of ornamental palms, it was reported by the Brontispa Action Team (BAT), multi-agency group now addressing the problem. BAT member-agencies are DA-Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), DA-Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI), DA-KASAKALIKASAN, and UPLB-National Crop Protection Center (NCPC).

Fast spreading, the pest has been found in young palms in Bay (Laguna), Candelaria (Quezon), and Lipa City. Lately, the palms on Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard in Manila and those along the entire stretch of Silang to Dasmariñas highway in Cavite have shown visible damages caused by the beetle.

As reported by the United Nations-Food and Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO), the beetle feeds on young leaves, which when appear burned or scorched.

The Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD), through Susan Sandra Ilao, also noted: "The beetle causes great damage to seedlings and mature coconut palms, kills the young spears and eventually the whole palm. Ornamental palms suffer the same fate."

the larva and adult, the destructive stages, damage the young leaves’ epidermis that eventually provide entry for pathogens (disease-causing organisms).

The adult is not capable of long flights but its long lifespan (75-90 days) is responsible for the short distance spread of the insect.

On the other hand, the larva feeds throughout its growing period (36 days). Both larva and adult stay between unopened leaflets of young coconut spears. They feed on the soft tissues. Affected parts decay and dry up, thus preventing the coconut palm from bearing fruits.

The eggs are difficult to detect because they are inserted between leaflets.

Chemical spraying is ineffective against the pest and is hazardous to nontarget organisms and the environment. The pest is best controlled by pruning, clean culture, and proper disposal of infested coconut palms or parts.

Biological control is also advisable by using the fungus Metarrhizium and Beauveria, and the parasitoid Ascodes hispinarum. – RAF