Field Efficacy of Spinetoram for the Management of Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Coffee is an important agriculture commodity for the State of Hawaii. The cost-efficient and effective management of diseases and pests is essential for the financial stability of an industry facing high labor and production costs. Coffee berry borer, one the most destructive insect pests of coffee worldwide, has recently been introduced to Hawaii coffee farms. This small beetle causes irreversible damage to the coffee seed and severely reduces coffee quality. While an integrated pest management (IPM) approach is in place for the control of this pest, additional management options need to be explored. In this study, the insecticide spinetoram was evaluated in a coffee field in Kona, Hawaii for its efficacy at controlling CBBs and reducing damage to the coffee seed. Spinetoram is derived from a naturally occurring soil bacterium and provides potent, broad-spectrum control of insect pests with low potential for environmental damage. One application of spinetoram caused the mortality of adult CBB, preventing them from moving into the seed and halting reproduction. Spinetoram has potential as a management tool in the CBB IPM program. ABSTRACT: Coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei, is a damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. CBB has recently been introduced to Hawaii, so management techniques are still being developed for sustainable and cost-efficient approaches for the effective control of this pest. Field trials were conducted to evaluate the use of spinetoram on CBB infestation and bean damage compared to Beauveria bassiana and an untreated control. Initial CBB infestations were similar, and the treatments resulted in no detectable differences in subsequent new infestations. Damage to the coffee beans was reduced by both spinetoram and B. bassiana compared to controls as the mortality of adult beetles resulting from the treatments prevented them from moving into the bean (C/D position) from the berry (A/B position). The mortality of adult beetles also prevented reproduction, subsequently reducing future CBB populations in the field. When applied to infested berries, spinetoram reduced live beetle populations in the A/B position by 73% and CBBs in the C/D position by 70% compared to the water control, whereas applications of B. bassiana reduced beetles in the C/D position by 37% but had no effect on the live A/B population. An integrated pest management program is recommended for the effective control of CBBs, and the use of spinetoram applications when adult beetles are in the A/B position appears to have potential as another management tool.