and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL INNON-RICE CROPS
coccinellid Menochilus sexmaculatus (F.), introduced to Hawaii for the control
of aphids in 1958, has become fully established. This coccinellid is native to
Southeast Asia and is now playing a major role as the most important predator
of the newly introduced pest in Southeast Asia, the leuceana psyllid lleteropsylla
Lubana Crawfo~d. The psyllid is now widespread in the Pacific islands,
Australia, and Southeast Asia, where regional effort in biologiral control is a
priority and chemicals are not recommended for field control.
The braconid Apanteles erionotae Wilkinson, introduced from Thailand to
Hawaii for the control of the banana skipper Pelopidasthrax (L.), has resulted in
a spectacular success, causing the extinction of P. thrax in Hawaii (Mau et al.
1980, Napompeth 1982). The braconid was also introduced to Guam where
satisfactory control was achieved (Muniappan 1980). The predatory pentatomid
Eocantheconafurcellata (Wolff) introduced from Thailand to Florida has also
given satisfactory control of avocado caterpillars (Sailer 1980). Several parasites
of the Oriental fruit fly Dacus dorsalis Hendel, and the melon fly Dacus
cucurbitae (Coquillet), were also introduced from the Southeast Asial region and
fully established with some degrees of control in Hawaii. The more important
ones are Biosteres arisanus (Sonan), Biosteres longicaudatus (Ashmead),
Biosteres persulcatus (Silvestri) and Biosteres vandenboschi (Fullaway) for D.
dorsalis,and Biosteresfletcheri(Silvestri), and Biosteres skinneri (Fullaway) for
D. cucurbitae (Baltizar 1980, Clausen et al. 1965, Napompeth 1982, Ooi et al.
1979, Rao et al. 1971).
CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
Attempts on classical biological control of crop pests in Southeast Asia
have not been extensive, mainly because most insect pests of the region are
endemic species. The few attempts have not met with much success.
For the diamondback moth Plutellaxylostella (L.), Diadegma cerophagus
Grav. was introduced from the Netherlands in 1928 to Indonesia but failed to
establish. Another introduction made from New Zealand in 1950 gave 72-82%
parasitization and fully established in Java and Sumatra (Rao et al. 1971). In
Malaysia, the parasites introduced for P. xylostella were Tetrastichus
sokolowskii Kurdjunoo, Macroinalon orientale Kerr. from India; Thyraella
(Diadromus)collarisGravenhort from India, New Zealand and Australia, and D.
cerophagusfrom Indonesia and New Zealand during 1975-1977, but to date only
T.,ollaris and D. cerophagus are established in the Cameron Highlands (Ooi et
al. 1979). Cotesia plutellace Kurdjunoo, T. collaris,M. orientale, T.
sokolowskti, and Brachymeriasp., int,'oduced from India to Thailand in 1965 by
the Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control (CIBC), failed to survive in
the laLoratory (Napompeth 1982, Rao et al. 1971) and no releases were made.
For the control of the coconut rhinoceros beetle Oryctes rhinoceros (L.),
Scolia ruficornis F., introduced from Zanzibar in 1960, established in Malaysia
(Ooi et al. 1979). In Thailand, S. ruficornis was introduced from the West
Caroline Islands in 1963, but its present status is not known (Napompeth 1982).
Other natural enemies which were also introduced for biological control of 0
rhinoceros in Malaysia but failed to become established were Plalyneris
125