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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Sustainable Perennial Crops Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #294644
Title: The coffee berry borer: the centenary of a biological invasion in Brazil

Author
item INFANTE, FRANCISCO - Ecosur
item PEREZ, JEANNETH - Ecosur
item Vega, Fernando

Submitted to: Brazilian Journal of Biology
Publication Type: Literature Review
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/12/2013
Publication Date: 8/1/2014
Citation: Infante, F., Perez, J., Vega, F.E. 2014. The coffee berry borer: the centenary of a biological invasion in Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology. 74:S125-S126.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is a bark beetle endemic to Africa. This species was first detected in the field in 1897 in Mount Coffee, Liberia, and years later was reported as a pest of coffee in several African countries. In 1913 the coffee berry borer was accidentally introduced into Brazil and subsequently invaded coffee plantations throughout South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. At present the insect has disseminated throughout most coffee producing countries in the world affecting the incomes of approximately 20 million coffee-farming families in ca. 80 countries. In this paper we discuss the slow progress in the development of effective control methods against this pest. We propose that a renewed research effort based on novel and modern approaches is essential for effectively reducing losses caused by what is now a 100-year-old biological invasion.