Prevalence of naturally-occurring strains of Beauveria bassiana in populations of coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei on Hawai’i Island, with observations on coffee plant-H. hampei-B. bassiana interactions

[Display omitted] •B. bassiana (Bb) is an important natural enemy of coffee berry borer (CBB) in Hawai’i.•CBB populations were sampled at low-, intermediate-, and high-elevation field sites.•Direct relationships were found between elevation (climatic conditions) and Bb prevalence.•Attributes of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of invertebrate pathology 2018-07, Vol.156, p.54-72
Main Authors: Wraight, S.P., Galaini-Wraight, S., Howes, R.L., Castrillo, L.A., Carruthers, R.I., Smith, R.H., Matsumoto, T.K., Keith, L.M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Beauveria bassiana
Coffea arabica
Coffee berry borer
Epizootiology
Hawai’i
Hypothenemus hampei
Prevalence
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Summary:[Display omitted] •B. bassiana (Bb) is an important natural enemy of coffee berry borer (CBB) in Hawai’i.•CBB populations were sampled at low-, intermediate-, and high-elevation field sites.•Direct relationships were found between elevation (climatic conditions) and Bb prevalence.•Attributes of the pest, pathogen, and coffee plant are important drivers of Bb prevalence.•Epizootics of feral Bb did not hold CBB populations below economic thresholds. Beauveria bassiana (Bb) strain GHA is a major component of an areawide pest management program for coffee berry borer (CBB) in Hawai’i. Recent studies have aimed to provide comprehensive assessments of the efficacy of the Bb-spray component of these programs for economic analyses; however, evaluations have been complicated by activity of naturally-occurring strains of this pathogen infecting CBB. Investigations were therefore undertaken to characterize these strains, assess their natural epizootic potential, and account for their contribution to CBB population suppression. A number of field sites were encountered with no history of significant use of commercial Bb-based biopesticides and where strain GHA was not detectable. Sampling of these sites was conducted early in the coffee season. Greatest activity of wild-type Bb strains was observed on high-elevation farms (>500 m), where 24–42% of foundress beetles in green coffee berries were infected. In contrast, infection rates did not exceed 4% on farms at low elevations (
ISSN:0022-2011
1096-0805
DOI:10.1016/j.jip.2018.07.008