Population dynamics of the coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis Keifer in Kerala, India

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 165 - 173, 31.07.2019

Thalakkattil Raghavan Sobha , Mohamed Abdul Haq

Abstract

The history of
the invasion of the coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis
Keifer of Kerala, India dates back to the early 1990s and within no time
the pest took a toll on coconut farming and dependent industries of this state.
The coconut trees as well as the economy of Kerala suffered a serious setback
over the years. The current study evaluated the population dynamics of the mite
on Chowghat green dwarf variety of coconut which is highly susceptible to mite
infestation. The survey of coconut mite population was carried out on the
Calicut University campus and surrounding areas from 2016-2018. The population
density of the mite was estimated by counting the number of mites in the
meristematic zone of the infested nuts at biweekly intervals. A seasonal
fluctuation in the population density was observed as a normal trend annually
with higher density during January to May and lower density during the period
of June to August. Furthermore, an overall decline in the population density
was recorded during the rainy season of the study period.

Keywords

Chowghat green dwarf, Aceria guerreronis, economic loss, seasonal fluctuation

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