Location: Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research
Project Number: 2040-22430-027-027-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2016
End Date: Aug 31, 2021
Objective:
The overall goal of this project is to implement an areawide IPM program to control coffee berry borer (CBB) in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner and prevent its further spread to non-infested areas. Specific objectives are to: (1) Develop, validate, and demonstrate farm management methods incorporating area-wide IPM practices to better manage CBB regionally; (2) Develop decision support tools that enable coffee growers to select optimal CBB control methods for their specific growing conditions and economic situation; and 3) Increase the availability and delivery of CBB management information to coffee farmers, extension agents, and the community.
Approach:
The coffee berry borer (CBB) was first reported in Hawaii in 2010. CBB spends the majority of its life cycle inside the coffee berries where it is highly protected from control measures. An areawide integrated pest management (IPM) approach will be used to control CBB and prevent its spread to non-infested areas. Scientists will expand and coordinate areawide data collection and technology transfer in Hawaii, and develop decision support tools for coffee growers to use in managing CBB. A geographic information system (GIS) database relating pest dynamics, the environment, coffee phenology, and biocontrol organisms will be included in predictive models to implement control measures at a regional scale. Growers will be taught how to implement up-to-date CBB IPM procedures, sampling methods, and technologies on their coffee farms and on demonstration farms. Early adopters of the CBB IPM program will be surveyed or interviewed. Information provided by these growers will be used to create models of successful coffee operations and demonstrate the effectiveness of CBB IPM and current control methods and technologies arising from research. Program information will be disseminated to and by state-wide extension personnel, all coffee associations, and the industry-wide CBB Task Force.
