Black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), as a potential threat to the coffee production

Abstract

In robusta coffee, Coffea canephora, the black twig borer Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) causes considerable damage. Although this has been reported in many crops for years in Brazil, recently, the injury caused by X. compactus in coffee has been ignored. This present study aimed to report the current status of X. compactus in Brazil, and to investigate its attack frequency in different robusta coffee genotypes. In this study, we reported the occurrence of X. compactus in robusta coffee plants in the state of Rondônia for the first time. We also evaluated the occurrence of this pest in different robusta coffee genotypes in the state of Espírito Santo. In all plants, the plagiotropic branches were attacked; however, the genotypes G2, G6, G8, G20, G48, G50, G51 and G52 showed a high number of attacked plagiotropic branches, whereas the genotypes G24 and G41 showed a low attack frequency. Thus, these can be promising candidates for pest resistance studies. Moreover, it was reported that Almeidea rubra, Alseis floribunda, Plinia grandifolia and Casearia Sylvestris can serve as hosts of X. compactus. Thus, our findings suggest that X. compactus is a threat to coffee production, and that future studies are necessary to find appropriate tools for its management.

Correction to: Symbiotic Fungi Associated With Xyleborine Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and the Imperative of Global Collaboration

“…Both studies mentioned that Ambrosiaemyces zeylanicus Trotter is associated with X. morigerus, but this fungus is not pathogenic. The black twig borer, X. compactus, introduced to South America from Asia is a highly destructive pest of coffee in Brazil that can also use several native tree species as host (Urvois et al 2022, Túler et al 2019. Robust research about the symbiotic fungi carried by these invasive ambrosia beetles in South America has not yet been completed.…”

Alternative plant protection strategies for tomorrow's coffee

“…The fungi Fusarium solani , Ambrosiella xylebori and Ambrosiella macrospora have been identified as providing a food source and favourable environment for larval development of X . compactus (Túler et al, 2019). Possible BCAs against BCTB include the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana (Balakrishnan et al, 1994) and predator beetles such as Cathartus quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp.…”

“…Furthermore, the plant species Almeidea rubra, Alseis floribunda, Plinia grandifolia and Casearia sylvestris may also act as hosts to X. compactus (Túler et al, 2019), thus planning of coffee-AFS should avoid these species if control of BCTB is of priority. The fungi Fusarium solani, Ambrosiella xylebori and Ambrosiella macrospora have been identified as providing a food source and favourable environment for larval development of X. compactus (Túler et al, 2019). Possible BCAs against BCTB include the entomopathogenic fungus B. bassiana (Balakrishnan et al, 1994) and predator beetles such as Cathartus quadricollis and Leptophloeus sp.…”

The Presence of Xylosandrus compactus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) in the Sierra Negra of Puebla, Veracruz and Oaxaca, Mexico

“…The most recent invasions of this insect have occurred in ornamental and forest plants in countries of the European Mediterranean region such as France (2015), Greece (2019), and Spain (2019) since its initial detection in Italy in 2011 (Gallego et al 2020;Faccoli 2021). In Brazil, since the report of the black twig borer attacking Robusta coffee (Coffea canephora Pierre ex Frohener; Rubiales: Rubiaceae) in Bahia in 1998 (Matiello et al 2011), this insect has been reported in the neighboring states of Espítitu Santo in 2005 and Minas Gerais in 2009, and more recently, it has been observed in the extreme west of the country, in Rondônia in 2019, a state that produces Robusta coffee (Túler et al 2019). The objectives of this paper were to: i) report the presence of X. compactus in Mexico; ii) provide general information on this pest species and its implications for the coffee crop; and iii) understand the behavior and future impact of X. compactus, based on the information available on Xylosandrus morigerus (Blandford), a species that is already present in Mexico and attacks Robusta coffee.Xylosandrus compactus was detected by coffee producers in Tepexilotla, a town in Zoquitlán, a municipality in the Sierra Negra of Puebla, Mexico in Nov 2021.…”

“…Likewise, in 2022, damage caused by this pest was detected in coffee plantations of Veracruz (municipality of Tezonapa) and Oaxaca (municipality of Santa María Chilchotla), close to the infested area in Puebla. Now, Mexico joins Brazil (Túler et al 2019), Cuba (Wood & Bright 1992), French Guyana (Wood 2007), Virgin Islands (Wood & Bright 1992), Peru (Delgado & Couturier 2012), and the United States (Chong et al 2009) among the countries of the American continent with the presence of X. compactus .…”