Fumigant and repellent activity of six essential oils against the Red Palm Mite in Trinidad
Abstract
Fumigant and repellent tests were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of six essential oils (clove, banana, jasmine, peppermint, eucalyptus and cassia) against Raoiella indica. Oils tested had attractant or repellent properties at different concentrations. Cassia and peppermint oils exhibited both repellent and vapour-phase mortality effects at 1% oil concentration and > 88% mortality over 72 hours at 33.3 µl/L air.
Female nymph of The Red Palm Mite, Raoiella indica Hirst
Introduction
The Red Palm Mite, Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) is a new invasive pest in the Americas that primarily infests palms and some members of the Musaceae and Zingiberaceae. This mite was introduced to Martinique in 2004 and it quickly spread to other islands of the Caribbean including Dominica, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, and recently Venezuela and Florida in the United States (Roda et al, 2010). The widespread appearance of the Red Palm Mite in the Caribbean region makes it a serious pest risk for the subtropical areas of the United States, tropical Central and South America and the entire Caribbean region (Welbourn, 2004). South Florida is especially at risk as the mite is dispersed by wind currents such as hurricanes, and transportation of infested plants or plant material (Welbourn, 2004). (Roda et al, 2010). The mite is a particularly serious pest of coconut and ornamental palms, with the former being widely used by the local population as an economic enterprise and the latter used to adorn many hotels and to a lesser extent, private homes in the Caribbean. Some growers in the affected countries have reported as much as a 70% decrease in coconut production (Anon., 2008).
A recent study in which experts from the Caribbean and Florida participated concluded that efforts at controlling this pest had not reaped significant results. Officials in the affected countries have experimented with primarily two treatment methods: pesticides and indigenous natural enemies neither of which has yielded much success. The increase in tourism has resulted in The Red Palm Mite being unintentionally moved across national borders in souvenirs made out of green palm. Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Plant Health officials concluded that coconuts were an important part of the economic life of the Caribbean as many countries had established industries based on the consumption of coconut water by nationals and tourists. They added that if the onset of invasive species such as R. indica that affect palms was not dealt with on a continuous basis the effect could be devastating (Anon., 2008).
The objective of this study was to determine the acaricidal / repellent activity of six essential oils as a management strategy against R. indica for the ornamental industry and plants at the nursery level such as coconut palms……
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Authors: Donnamarie Alexander and Ayub Khan*
*Department of Life Sciences, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad, West Indies.
Category: Agriculture
