The leaf eating black headed caterpillar Opisina arenosella is a serious pest of coconut palm causing significant yield loss in all the coconut growing tracts of India. During 2015-16, a high infestation of black headed caterpillar was observed in all the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, and an incidence ranging from 42.82% to 62.86% was recorded. From October 2015 to April 2016 inundative releases of about 3,788,000 larval parasitoids Bracon hebetor and Goniozus nephantidis were carried out in pest affected gardens in Allavaram and Uppalaguptam mandals of East Godavari. To study the impact of the parasitoid releases, 10 leaflets/palm were randomly collected from 10 sample gardens in seven villages of these mandals and the pest population recorded. After three months of parasitoid release, the larval population of O. arenosella decreased by 34.08-75.88%, pupal population by 33.33-94.52%, and the paralysed larval population recovered was 8.30-26.92%. After six months, the larval population decreased by 59.65-100%, the pupal population up to 92.77-100% and the paralysed larval population recovery was also high, ranging from 18.68% to 34.61%. The impact of inundative release of bio agents for suppression of leaf eating caterpillar was prominent, after six months providing impetus to the role of biological control in pest management. The assumed overall economic loss prevented due to this intervention was 192.6 million rupees.

Appraisal of nut yield reduction in East Coast Tall (ECT) variety of coconut palms with exotic and invasive rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW) infestation @ low (<10 spirals per leaflet), medium (10 – 20 spirals per leaflet) and high (> 20 spirals per leaflet) incidence was studied out at two experimental locations viz., Horticultural Research Station (HRS), Ambajipeta and Kalavalapalli. The per cent (%) yield loss was estimated to be 6.61 and 22.45 per cent in ECT palms with low and medium RSW incidence, while comparatively greater yield loss of 27.59 per cent was recorded in palms with high incidence at HRS, Ambajipeta. Likewise, at Kalavalapalli village, the per cent (%) yield loss in ECT palms with low, medium and high RSW incidence was recorded to be 6.49, 25.65 and 30.38 per cent respectively. Further, declining trend of button setting was noticed for last 2 years (2019 to 2021) at HRS, Ambajipeta with 45.04 per cent during 2018 (highest before RSW infestation), while the least setting was recorded in the year 2021 with 28.39 per cent. The button setting during the years 2019 and 2020 was 33.41 and 31.19 per cent.

Andhra Pradesh is one of the important coconut-growing states in India with an area of 0.115 million hectares producing 1,567.60 million nuts annually. The exotic pest rugose spiraling whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculatus Martin (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has entered India in 2016 with first reports from Kerala and Tamil Nadu states and from Andhra Pradesh in 2017. The IPM strategies which included the installation of yellow sticky traps @12/acre, re-distribution of parasitoid Encarsia guadeloupae, foliar application of entomopathogenic fungi Isaria fumosorosea NBAIR pfu 5 (5 g/litre @1x108 spores/ml) along with the release of neuropteran predator Apertochrysa astur @600 eggs per palm resulted in successful containment of RSW in experimental plantations. An effective extension network promoting IPM strategies for RSW management resulted in a decrease in incidence and intensity from 50 to 75 percent in four major coconut-growing villages in two districts in the year 2020-21 as compared to 2019-20. However, continuous monitoring for invasive whiteflies should be done rigorously as another neotropical invasive, Bondar’s Nesting Whitefly (BNW), Paraleyrodes bondari Peracchi (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) was observed along with RSW in coconut plantations during surveys necessitating development of an integrated approach for all invasive whiteflies.

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Field evaluation of various biopesticides viz., Beauveria bassiana, Isaria fumosorosea NBAIR pfu-5, Metarhizium anisopliae, Lecanicillium lecanii, azadirachtin and soapnut powder were carried out against coconut invasive Rugose Spiraling Whitefly (RSW), Aleurodicus rugioperculetus Martin at Ramachandrapuram and Ambajipeta (Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, AP) during 2020-21 and 2021-22. Pooled data analysis indicated that azadiracthin 10,000 ppm significantly reduced the nymphal population of RSW to the level of 25.74, 22.14, 17.67 and 15.82 nymphs per leaflet at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after spray and was found superior among the different treatments tested. Regarding the reduction of the adult population, pest incidence and pest intensity, I. fumosorosea NBAIR pfu-5 spray was significantly superior compared to that of other treatments.