The coffee agroecosystem: bio-economic analysis of coffee berry borer control (Hypothenemus hampei)

Abstract

Coffee, after petroleum, is the most valuable commodity globally in terms of total value (harvest to coffee cup). Here, our bioeconomic analysis considers the multitude of factors that influence coffee production. The system model used in the analysis incorporates realistic field models based on considerable new field data and models for coffee plant growth and development, the coffee/coffee berry borer (CBB) dynamics in response to coffee berry production and the role of the CBB parasitoids and their interactions in control of CBB. Cultural control of CBB by harvesting, cleanup of abscised fruits, and chemical sprays previously considered are reexamined here to include biopesticides for control of CBB such as entomopathogenic fungi ( Beauveria bassiana , Metarhizium anisopliae ) and entomopathogenic nematodes ( Steinernema sp., Heterorhabditis ). The bioeconomic analysis estimates the potential of each control tactic singly and in combination for control of CBB. The analysis explains why frequent intensive harvesting of coffee is by far the most effective and economically viable control practice for reducing CBB infestations in Colombia and Brazil.

Tritrophic analysis of the prospective biological control of brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, under extant weather and climate change

“…A well-parameterized PBDM was used to analyze the biological control of the spotted alfalfa aphid (Therioaphis maculata Buckton, Hemiptera: Aphididae) across the disparate ecological zones of California by the combined time and place action of parasitoids, disease, and coccinellid predators (Gutierrez and Ponti 2013a). Tritrophic PBDM analyses of the biological control of invasive pest species, include vine mealybug (Planococcus ficus (Signoret); Gutierrez et al 2008), glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar); Gutierrez et al 2011), Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama; Gutierrez and Ponti 2013b), coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari); Cure et al 2020) and others. In each case, the underlying bases for the success or failure of the biological control effort were informed by the models.…”

Frequent and efficient harvesting as an economically viable strategy to regulate coffee berry borer on commercial farms in Hawaii

“…During the main harvest the average interval between picks was 21 days for cultural farms compared to 22 days for conventional farms. Harvesting at 15-day intervals has been found to be most effective for reducing CBB infestation in Colombia (Benavides et al 2002, Aristizábal et al 2011), with the effectiveness decreasing as the interval increases from 15 to 60 days (Curé et al 2020). By increasing the number of sanitation picks during the post-harvest/early coffee season and narrowing the time frame between picks during the main harvest season, farmers in Hawaii could further lower infestation levels and prevent lost income resulting from damaged cherry.…”

Agro-Ecological Management of Coffee Pests in Brazil

“…The main cultural practices for pest control in coffee crops are related to CBB and consist of harvesting dry overripe fruit on trees and cleaning up of abscised fruits on the ground to reduce CBB reservoir in the inter-crop season (Aristizábal et al, 2016;Johnson et al, 2020). A bioeconomic analysis considering the multitude of factors that influence coffee production was performed by Cure et al (2020). In their analysis, the authors used a system model that incorporates realistic field models based on considerable new field data and models for coffee plant growth, CBB development, and dynamics on CBB control strategies, including biological control.…”

“…Among those, the coffee leaf miner Leucoptera coffeella (Guérin-Mèneville) (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae) and the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) stand out as key pests in Brazil, the largest coffee producer of the world (Le Pelley, 1968;Reis et al, 2002;Vega et al, 2009). Pest attack on coffee plants causes losses of hundreds of millions of dollars every year (Oliveira et al, 2013;Milligan et al, 2016;Avelino et al, 2018;Cure et al, 2020). The coffee leaf miner (CLM) is disseminated throughout the American continent (Pantoja-Gomez et al, 2019).…”

“…The coffee berry borer (CBB) is a cosmopolitan pest currently present in all coffee producer countries except in Australia and Nepal (Johnson et al, 2020;Sun et al, 2020). It is considered the most damaging pest of coffee worldwide (Damon, 2000;Vega et al, 2009;Cure et al, 2020). Females of CBB bore into the berries and oviposit inside the coffee berry endosperm.…”