CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY 44 Forty Fourth Annual Meeting 2008
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f OOD CRops ^THECARIBBE»*^ CARIBBEAN FOOD CROPS SOCIETY 44 Forty Fourth Annual Meeting 2008 Miami, Florida, USA Vol. XLIV - Number 1 T-STAR Invasive Species Symposium MEETING HOST: TIP UNIVERSITY of UF FLORIDA IFAS 2008 Proceedings of the Caribbean Food Crops Society. 44(1):80-174. 2008 SESSION III: TECHNICAL ISSUES RELATING TO INVASIVE SPECIES THREATS IN THE CARIBBEAN BASIN A PEER REVIEWED PAPER RED PALM MITE SITUATION IN THE CARIBBEAN AND FLORIDA Amy Roda1, Ashley Dowling2, Cal Welbourn3, Jorge Pena4, Jose Carlos V. Rodrigues5, Marjorie A. Hoy6, Ronald Ochoa7, Russell A. Duncan8 and Wayne De Chi9. 1 USDA APHIS PPQ CPHST, c/o ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station, 13601 Old Cutler Rd„ Miami, FL 33158. [email protected] ; 2 Dept. of Entomology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701; 3 Division of Plant Industry, Florida Dept. Agriculture & Consumer Services, Gainesville, FL 32614-7100; 4 Dept. of Entomology and Nematology, University of Florida, TREC - IFAS, Homestead, FL ; 5 University of Puerto Rico, Crop Protection Department Jardin Botânico Sur, 1193 Calle Guayacan, San Juan PR, 00926; 6 Dept. of Entomology & Nematology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0620; 7 SEL, USDA, ARS, PSI, Β ARC-West, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705; 8 USDA-APHIS-IS-Caribbean Area, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic;9 USDA-APHIS-IS, Port of Spain, Trinidad ABSTRACT: The red palm mite (Raoiella indica Hirst Tenuipalpidae), a pest of coconuts and ornamental palms in Asia and Africa, was reported in the Caribbean in 2004. By 2008, it spread to at least twelve islands, to two counties in Florida and to Venezuela. Red palm mite causes yellowing and leaf necrosis with severe reduction of leaf stomatal conductance. Growers are reporting > 70% reduction in coconut yield. Genetic studies of red palm mite collected from multiple regions in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean revealed several distinct haplotypes. All Caribbean samples have the same haplotype, which matches samples from coconut in Réunion and areca palms in India. The populations from coconut in India exhibited a different haplotype. Biological control and pesticide options are being studied to manage the pest. The efficacy of acaricides against red palm mite was tested to provide palm, banana and ornamental nursery growers with an updated list of acaricides with good control potential. Natural enemy studies in the Caribbean have shown that thrips, phytoseiid, lacewing, and coccinelid predators attack red palm mites. Fungal infections have been reported in Puerto Rico, Dominica and Trinidad. Predatory mite numbers, especially in the Phytoseiidae, increase in response to higher numbers of red palm mites. However, these local predators are apparently not controlling red palm mite outbreaks. Foreign exploration for natural enemies is being conducted in Mauritius and India. A phytoseiid predator is currently being evaluated in quarantine in Gainesville, Florida. KEYWORDS: acaricides, biological control, predatory mite, foreign exploration INTRODUCTION The red palm mite (Raoiella indica Hirst Tenuipalpidae), an invasive pest of coconuts and ornamental palms in the Old World, has rapidly spread through the Caribbean. A pest risk analysis conducted by USDA APHIS PPQ Plant Epidemiology and Risk Analysis Laboratory 170 concluded that the red palm mite is a serious economic threat to the nursery palm industry and to both indoor and outdoor environments based on cumulative risk, host range, dispersal potential, economic impact, environmental impact and habitat suitability (Borchert, 2007). Due to the likelihood of the pest spreading throughout the Caribbean, South America, Central America and the continental US, programs were developed in the Caribbean and Florida to identify potential pathways for the pest, optimize survey protocols, and determine mitigation strategies that would minimize the impact of red palm mite in the region. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The red palm mite was first reported in the Western Caribbean in Martinique in 2004 (Flechtmann and Etienne, 2004). By 2008, it spread to at least 12 islands, two counties in Florida and to Venezuela. Red palm mite populations are extremely high and the mite is attacking multiple plant species within multiple monocot plant families (Table 1). Many of R. indica's hosts are new reports such as bananas, gingers and heliconias. However not all reported hosts are well suited for mite development and population growth. Higher populations were found on coconut (Cocos nucifera), Christmas palm (Adonidia merrilli), Washingtonia spp., Chinese fan palms (Livistona chinensis) and others (Farzan Husin, unpublished data). Coconut production decreased over 75% on plantations in Trinidad one year after the detection of the mite in 2006 and has remained at this lower level for 2 years (Philippe Agostini, President Trinidad and Tobago Coconut Growers Assoc., personal communication). Susceptible palms show severe damage with bronzing and chlorosis of leaves, however, no mass die-off of adult palms due to the mite has been documented in the Caribbean. Reports from Puerto Rico indicate that heavily infested small coconuts have died (Jose Carlos Rodrigues, personal observation). Jepson et al. (1975) and Sathiamma (1996) reported red palm mite as a serious pest to coconut seedlings in nurseries and young palms in the field. Although listed as a pest of date palms in Israel, the mite was not considered economically important (Gerson et al., 1983; Zaid et al., 2002). Red palm mite feeding causes a rapid yellowing of the leaf that has been confused with disease and nutrition problems (Kane and Ochoa, 2006). On coconut these symptoms take 2-3 months to manifest after initial infestation (Rodrigues et al., 2007a). Red palm mites are dispersed through trade of infested material and naturally by wind. They can live for prolonged periods on cut palm fronds and can remain on dry fronds for over 3 weeks, continuing to feed and reproduce as long as the palm frond remains green (Ron Ochoa, personal observation). The red palm mites may survive on craft items made of infested fronds or floral arrangements for an extended period of time. Studies were conducted to determine the potential origin of the red palm mites found in the Caribbean (Ashley Dowling, unpublished data). Red palm mites were collected by researchers worldwide and a Bayesian analysis was used to determine how closely related were the various red palm mite populations. Raoiella indica was not found in Australia. The Raoiella collected from Australia were different species and were used as an outgroup. These mites were very different from all R. indica collected (22-25% sequence divergence). The populations of red palm mite from the Middle East (UAE and Iran) each exhibited different haplotypes representing the earliest divergence R. indica populations and based upon current sampling, possibly the origins of the species. Red palm mites collected from coconuts in India possessed a different 81 haplotype than those collected from other palms as did populations from the Philippines. All Caribbean populations of the red palm mite shared the same haplotype that was identical to populations from Reunion and those found on Betel nut in India. Based on these results a diagram of the potential movement of red palm mite populations through out the world was developed (Fig. 1). A red palm mite technical working group composed of technical experts, risk analysts and stakeholders was formed in 2006 to identify methods and strategies to survey, detect, identify, and manage red palm mite. Due to the difficulty of detecting the pest at low numbers, its wide host range and its capacity for wind dispersal, the group concluded that eradication was not a feasible option. Additionally, the economic impact of the pest remained unclear and did not warrant the expense for eradication given the limited understanding of the pest. The group recommended that survey efforts focus on early detection in order to institute programs to slow the spread of the pest and that high risk areas needed to be targeted (e.g. nurseries receiving imported material, and ports of entry). Information on the red palm mite needed to be provided to inspectors (both State and Federal), extension agents, pest surveyors and citizens using multiple media venues (websites, brochures, and training sessions). The only plausible wide scale mitigation option was biological control and the selection of resistant varieties of palms and Musa spp. Local generalist predators and pathogens would likely provide a level of control with exotic natural enemies adding further suppression. Pesticide options were needed for growers and for limited use in the landscape (homeowners, botanical gardens). Chemical control needed to consider the end use of the material treated (e.g. coconuts used as ornamentals or for coconut water). Pesticides are currently registered for mite control on these commodities and preliminary studies have been conducted on their efficacy against red palm mites (Rodrigues et al., 2007b). The red palm mite is a difficult pest to detect due to its small size (<100 microns), the height of palm trees, and the large number of highly dispersed host plants where the mite could first establish. The most common survey methodology was a visual inspection of fronds, looking for damage and the presence of red palm mite colonies with a hand lens. Additional techniques used include washing leaf samples in alcohol and inspecting the rinse under a dissecting microscope or wiping a white tissue on the underside of the frond looking for red stains. Suspect mites are placed in alcohol for later slide mounting and confirmation of identification. Photographs and samples are taken to verify unknown host plants. The Florida Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey developed a survey methodology based on experiences in the Caribbean that was effective in detecting the presence of the pest in the U.S (Smith and Dixon, 2008). Initially an extensive educational outreach program was initiated to inform the nursery industry, local government, and homeowners about the likely incursion of the pest.