Options in Controlling Coconut Scale Insect (CSI)

Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Hemiptera: Dispididae)

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Coconut Scale Insect (CSI) Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Hemiptera: Dispididae)

Coconut is not alone

CSI is known to attack the following, plant species aside from Cocos nucifera (coconut)

Annona muricata guyabano Carica papaya papaya

Artocarpus altilis kamansi Cucumissativus spp. cucumber

Citrus spp. calamansi, sintones Dioscorea spp. ubi

Elaeis guineensis oil palm Lycopersicon spp. tomato

Hevea brasiliensis rubber Passiflora edulis passion fruit

Mangifera indica mango Piper nigrum black pepper

Musa spp. banana Raphanus spp. radish

Persea americana avocado Sacch. officinarum sugarcane

Tamarindus indica tamarind Zingiber officinale ginger

Theobroma cacao cocoa Vigna unguiculata cowpea

CSI can be easily be re-introduced by people moving infested plants or plant parts, even if it is successfully controlled on the primary host crop, because of its wide host range.

Effects and Impact of Coconut Scale Insect (CSI) Infestation

Usually a minor pest of young coconut in nurseries, CSI is a destructive pest to mature coconut palms. As these settle on the leaves, CSI:

sucks the sap that is essential for the growth of the crop; and

injects toxic enzymes that result to discolored leaves and deformed plant tissues

CSIs feeding causes premature nutfall and low yield (due to sap feeding), and yellowing or chlorosis and wilting (due to toxic enzyme injection).

Characteristics of Female Coconut Scale Insect

The adult females of almost all armored scale insects (Diaspididae) live under a scale cover formed of secreted wax filaments, cemented by anal excretion, and embedded with the exuviae of the two preceding nymphal stages.

The female deposits 20-50 eggs over a period of few days with incubation of 7 to 8 days after which nymphs crawl out and colonize the plant surfaces for a 32-35 day life cycle.

Diaspidids do not produce honeydew and excrete little material from the anus; unwanted constituents of ingested sap probably are returned to the plant via the mouthparts or are used in scale-cover formation.

Characteristics of Female Coconut Scale Insects

Scale insects generally have low vagability (capacity or tendency of an organism or a species to move about or disperse in a given environment) such that sedentary coccoid females usually spend their entire lives on a single host plant and oviposit there.

Although most species of scale insects reproduce sexually, seven different kinds of parthenogenesis (ability to reproduce without males) are known in coccoids wherein the flightless and usually sessile females are unable to seek out males.

Egg Protection of Coconut Scale Insects

Scale insects have evolved a variety of methods to protect their eggs and hatching crawlers from unfavorable abiotic conditions and natural enemies: Scale covers, wax layers, and tests that

protect the adult female also serve to shelter her eggs and crawlers but other wax exudations appear to function only to increase the survival of progeny; and

Wax filaments often densely coat the eggs of scale insects and may protect eggs from desiccation or prevent them from sticking to each other.

Mode of Dispersal of Coconut Scale Insect

Ample evidence exists that newly emerged f irst-instar scale insects (nymphs) are the main dispersal agents.

In Diaspididae, the nymphs (crawlers) dispersed passively by the wind and, though mortality is very high, may be carried for distances of a few meters to several km, and more rarely a few hundred km, from the natal trees.

However, if conditions are favorable, crawlers usually settle on the natal host plant and often close to their mother, leading to an aggregative distribution

Gender Characteristics of Coconut Scale Insect Nymphs

In Diaspididae, in which there is sexual dimorphism of body color in eggs and first-instar nymphs, female crawlers are more active and wander further from the maternal scales than male crawlers.

Sexual dichronism, or the production of male and female offspring at different times, is apparent in some scale insects with sexually dimorphic crawlers.

In armored scale insects, the production of females first may be advantageous if food quality diminishes over time because males do not feed in the last three instars.

CSI Infestation Control Options Control Options

Control Agents Key Strength Key Weakness

Silent Spring Synthetic Chemical Control

Dinotefuran, diazinon, chlorpyrifos, methidathion and white oils

Turbulence created by low-flying helicopter-spraying may cause insecticide mists to reach ventral portion of infested leaves

Not usually recommended, even if reduced risk (to human) pesticides, as these may also kill the natural enemies present or introduced in the field .

Phytosanitary Measures

National and/or LGU Agriculture Quarantine Officers

Police powers of the state may and can be invoked if clear and present danger to the economy is proven.

Quarantine border surveillance should be strict on the movement of planting material to avoid spread of scale.

Cultural Control Farmers

CSI can be eradicated from new areas by destroying infested plants and plant parts.

Weak and neglected plantations are particularly susceptible to damage by A. destructor.

CSI Infestation Control Options Control Options

Control Agents Key Strength Key Weakness

Biological Control

Coccinellid beetles: Pseudoscymnus anomalus , Rhyzobius spp. and Telsimia nitida.

Takes advantage of predators and/or parasitoids as natural control agents that prevent population explosions of damage-causing species.

Pest outbreaks can occur as a result of loss of enemies due to natural causes such as droughts and cyclones as well as indiscriminate Silent Spring chemical applications.

Physiodynamic Control

Fatty acid methyl esters, amino acid combinations, metabolic activators (enzymes and hormones)

Organic substances applied for either immediate selective disruption of the pest life-cycle and/or the supply of precursors needed by host plant for allelochemical response.

Although the solvent polymerization effect on the waxy scale of the target pests is known, there is not much literature on the synthesis by the host plants of compounds that stimulate beneficial or inhibit harmful organisms.

Immediate CSI Infestation Control and Plant Recovery Suggestions

For the immediate reduction of the CSI population, dinotefuran be applied as trunk injection, up to two times 2-3 weeks apart, instead of foliar spray that may drift to water bodies or soil applied that may leach to ground water (http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/ insect-mite/ddt-famphur/dinotefuran/dinotef_venom_den_0108.pdf).

Dinotefuran application can also affect sucking and chewing insect pests like Brontispa longgisima that kill young coconuts replanted to replace senile palms.

Optionally, the same trunk bore holes can also be the route of administration of amino acid precursors and metabolic activators for allelochemical response and/or yield recovery by the treated plants.

http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/ddt-famphur/dinotefuran/dinotef_venom_den_0108.pdfhttp://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/insect-mite/ddt-famphur/dinotefuran/dinotef_venom_den_0108.pdf

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References: 1. Coconut scale insect

http:// www.spc.int/lrd/publications/doc_download/942-ph-pal-38-csi 2. That voracious pest called coconut scale insect

http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option= com_content&view=article&id=2145%3Athat-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41

3. Adaptations in scale insects http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.ento.42.1.23

4. Sprayed to death: Path dependence, lock-in and pest control strategies http://ideas.repec.org/a/ecj/econjl/v106y1996i436p521-42.html

http://www.spc.int/lrd/publications/doc_download/942-ph-pal-38-csihttp://www.spc.int/lrd/publications/doc_download/942-ph-pal-38-csihttp://www.spc.int/lrd/publications/doc_download/942-ph-pal-38-csihttp://ideas.repec.org/a/ecj/econjl/v106y1996i436p521-42.htmlhttp://ideas.repec.org/a/ecj/econjl/v106y1996i436p521-42.htmlhttp://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2145:that-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2145:that-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2145:that-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2145:that-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41http://www.spc.int/lrd/publications/doc_download/942-ph-pal-38-csihttp://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.ento.42.1.23http://www.pcaarrd.dost.gov.ph/home/ssentinel/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2145:that-voracious-pest-called-coconut-scale-insect&Itemid=41http://ideas.repec.org/a/ecj/econjl/v106y1996i436p521-42.html

Options in Controlling Coconut Scale Insect (CSI)Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Hemiptera: Dispididae)Slide Number 2Slide Number 3Slide Number 4Coconut Scale Insect (CSI)Aspidiotus destructor Signoret (Hemiptera: Dispididae)Coconut is not aloneEffects and Impact ofCoconut Scale Insect (CSI) InfestationCharacteristics of Female Coconut Scale InsectCharacteristics of Female Coconut Scale InsectsEgg Protection of Coconut Scale InsectsMode of Dispersal of Coconut Scale InsectGender Characteristics of Coconut Scale Insect NymphsCSI Infestation Control OptionsCSI Infestation Control OptionsImmediate CSI Infestation Control and Plant Recovery SuggestionsSlide Number 16

09175791459 / 09999911492014-03-19T18:14:28+0800QABSO Lucena City, QuezonNorberto G Rillera, DVM, MABEI am the author of this document