New Horizons in Insect Science Towards Sustainable Pest Management

359

Status and Management of Three

Major Insect Pests of Coconut in the

Tropics and Subtropics

A. D. N. T. Kumara, M. Chandrashekharaiah, Subhash B.

Kandakoor and A. K. Chakravarthy

A. K. Chakravarthy (ed.), New Horizons in Insect Science: Towards Sustainable Pest Management,
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-2089-3_32, © Springer India 2015

A. D. N. T. Kumara ()
Crop Protection Division, Coconut Research Institute,
Lunuwila, 61150, Sri Lanka
e-mail: [email protected]

M. Chandrashekharaiah · S. B. Kandakoor ·
A. K. Chakravarthy
Department of Agricultural Entomology, Gandhi Krishi
Vignan Kendra (GKVK), University of Agricultural
Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka 560065 India
e-mail: [email protected],
[email protected]

Abstract

More than 900 species of pests are associated with cultivated and wild

coconut palm. This number includes both invertebrates and vertebrates.

Of these, red palm weevil, ( Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) rhinoc-

eros beetle ( Oryctes rhinoceros L.), and coconut black-headed caterpil-

lar ( Opisina arenosella Walker) are the most important devastating insect

pests of coconut in major coconut-growing areas of the world. These three

insect pests are distributed wherever coconut palm occurs. Current status,

bioecology, and the management of the three pests are reviewed and dis-

cussed in the light of the changing scenario on coconut and other palms.

Introduction

Coconut, Cocus nucifera L. (Palmaceae) is an im-
portant crop mainly in the tropical and subtropi-
cal regions of the world, and millions of people
depend on this crop directly or indirectly. It is
popularly called “kalpavriksha,” “tree of life,”

due to multiple uses and it is one of the top ten

most useful trees in the world, providing food for

millions (Duke 1983 ). Across the world, several

people are employed in coconut-based industries

like coconut oil, dry coconut powder, tender co-

conut, coir, toiletries, etc. Coconut is grown in 93

countries mainly in Indonesia, Philippines, India,

and Sri Lanka together accounting for 78 % of the

total world production.

The coconut palm is attacked by a number

of insect pests all around the year (Thampan

1975 ). Coleoptera is the most numerous among

them, and a total of 323 species are associated

with coconut palm (Child 1974 ). Most species

of beetles feed on leaves, roots, or bores in plant

buds. Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae, and Scara-

baeidae mainly cause serious damage, resulting

Keywords

Black-headed caterpillar · Coconut · Red palm weevil · Rhinocerus beetle