News: The rugose spiralling whitefly continues to spread across coconut-growing regions in India, causing severe yield losses and rising financial stress for farmers.
About India’s Coconut Economy
- India is the third largest coconut-producing country in the world and accounted for about 31.45% of the world’s total production during FY22, with a production of 19,310 million nuts.
- During FY24, India produced 21,373.62 million nuts.
- The crop contributed around US$ 3.72 billion to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) during FY23.
- The coconut palm provides food security and livelihood opportunities to more than 12 million people in India.
- It is also a fibre-yielding crop for more than 15,000 coir-based industries, employing nearly 6 lakh people.
- The productivity of coconuts at a national level for FY24 was at 9,871 nuts per hectare, one of the highest in the world.
- Copra processing, coconut oil extraction and coir manufacturing are the traditional coconut-based activities in the country.
- Producing states: India’s coconut production is majorly situated in Kerala, Karnataka, Tami Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 89.13% of the coconut area and 90.77% of the coconut production in the country during FY24.
- Other coconut-producing states in the country are West Bengal, Orissa, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Assam and Bihar.
About Rugose Spiralling Whitefly (RSW)
- Rugose spiralling whitefly is an invasive sap-sucking insect that attacks coconut, banana, palm and other crops.
- Scientific name: RSW is scientifically known as Aleurodicus rugioperculatus.
- Native to: It is native to the Caribbean and Central America.
- Officially recorded in India: RSW was officially recorded in 2016 at Pollachi in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu.
- Key Characteristics
- Appearance: The pest forms white spiralling patterns on leaves and produces sticky honeydew.
- Life Cycle: It multiplies rapidly under warm conditions and survives throughout the year.
- Feeding: It sucks plant sap, weakening the tree and reducing growth.
- Honeydew: The sticky secretion leads to black sooty mould, which blocks photosynthesis.
- Concern: RSW causes heavy yield loss, decline in fruit quality, rising farmer debt and increased pesticide use, while field-level control remains ineffective.
- Solution: ICAR-NBAIR identified the parasitoid Encarsia guadeloupae, which caused natural parasitism ranging from 56% to 82%, without the use of chemical pesticides.
- ICAR-NBAIR also developed a biocontrol fungus, Isaria fumosorosea, which was effective against all life stages of the pest and recorded pest mortality of up to 91%, significantly reducing crop protection costs.
