Fernando Kemp Vega - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Fernando Kemp Vega
The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2005
Revista Medica Herediana, 2012
Revista Colombiana De Ciencia Animal, 2012
El objetivo de esta investigación fue establecer por ultrasonografía, la frecuencia cardíaca feta... more El objetivo de esta investigación fue establecer por ultrasonografía, la frecuencia cardíaca fetal, desde el mes cuarto hasta el final de la gestación en 20 yeguas criollas colombianas, con edades entre los cuatro a los ocho años y un peso promedio de 348 ± 8,69 kg, mediante examen transrectal y transabdominal, utilizando un transductor lineal endorectal de 6,0 MHz y un sectorial convexo R40 de 3,5 MHz. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticas significativas (p ≤ 0,05) en la frecuencia cardíaca de los fetos a lo largo de la gestación frente a las reportadas en equinos de otras razas, en el cuarto mes de gestación la media de la frecuencia cardíaca fetal en latidos por minuto fue de 145 ± 6,82 y de 86 ± 5,28 en el último mes de gestación, observándose una disminución lineal gradual de la frecuencia cardíaca al aumentar el tiempo gestacional.
Horticultura Brasileira, 2004
Avaliaram-se os efeitos de doses de biossólido aplicadas no sulco de plantio sobre a produção de ... more Avaliaram-se os efeitos de doses de biossólido aplicadas no sulco de plantio sobre a produção de fitomassa aérea de pupunheiras durante o primeiro ano do cultivo. O experimento foi instalado em Ubatuba (SP), tendo sido estudado quatro doses de lodo de esgoto (equivalentes a 0; 100; 200 e 400 kg ha-1 de N), em esquema de blocos ao acaso, com seis repetições e quatro tratamentos. Foram utilizadas mudas com 10 meses de idade e densidade de plantio de 5.000 plantas ha-1. As respostas da planta às doses de biossólido foram avaliadas mensalmente, por meio de alguns caracteres diretamente relacionados ao crescimento e à produção de palmito. Com base na altura da planta foi estimado o acúmulo periódico da fitomassa aérea fresca da haste principal, ao longo do tempo. Houve diferença estatística a partir do 5º mês de plantio para as diferentes doses, tempo em que a planta se adaptou ao campo e em que os nutrientes do biossólido começaram a ser assimilados. A resposta positiva no acúmulo de fi...
Horticultura Brasileira, 2004
A estimativa da fitomassa aérea da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) por meio de relações alomé... more A estimativa da fitomassa aérea da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) por meio de relações alométricas tem aplicação teórica e prática, sendo essencial em estudos de fisiologia de crescimento, bem como para identificar respostas e predizer a produção. No presente trabalho foram avaliadas diferentes equações buscando o melhor ajuste alométrico representativo da fitomassa da pupunheira cultivada para a produção de palmito. Foram utilizadas palmeiras inermes, da raça Putumayo, em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento, cultivadas em Ubatuba (SP) no espaçamento de 2 x 1 m. Selecionaram-se 117 plantas, com alturas entre 0,22 e 5,04 m e diâmetros entre 2,23 e 27,06 cm. Medidas diretas, relacionadas ao crescimento, foram realizadas antes do corte. Em seguida as plantas foram separadas em diferentes partes estruturais, sendo medidas, pesadas e secas, obtendo-se a massa da matéria seca. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de regressão e ajuste de equações, tendo como variáveis independentes...
Bark Beetles, 2015
ABSTRACT The genus Hypothenemus consists of 181 species with worldwide distribution with greatest... more ABSTRACT The genus Hypothenemus consists of 181 species with worldwide distribution with greatest diversity in the tropics. Most species are very small, poorly described, and difficult to distinguish. Some common features shared by Hypothenemus species are (1) pre-dispersal sibling mating; (2) flightless males having vestigial wings; (3) a skewed sex ratio favoring females; and (4) females are bigger than males. An illustrated guide to morphological features useful in identifying members of the genus is provided. The most economically important species in the genus is H. hampei (Ferrari), the coffee berry borer, which has been reported in most coffee producing countries worldwide. A vast body of coffee berry borer-related literature published in Dutch, English, Portuguese, and Spanish has been consulted to provide an in-depth analysis of the research that has been conducted on the insect. Research areas such as the use of traps baited with non-specific attractants, the introduction of parasitoids, and the use of fungal entomopathogens have been repeatedly studied in many countries, even though the results have not been promising. Two pest management options with higher chances of alleviating the problems caused by the insect are identified: the use of attractants and/or repellents specific to the coffee berry borer.
Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, 2007
O uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto vem se mostrando como opção para reduzir impactos ambientais e p... more O uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto vem se mostrando como opção para reduzir impactos ambientais e poluição das águas. No entanto, há necessidade de se adequar dose e freqüência de aplicação para cada cultura. Durante 40 meses, foram avaliados, em experimento de campo instalado em Ubatuba (SP), os efeitos de doses de lodo de esgoto sobre a precocidade de colheita e a produção de palmito de pupunheira. Foram testadas quatro doses anuais de lodo, correspondentes a 0, 0,5, 1,0 e 2,0 vezes a quantidade de nitrogênio recomendada para o cultivo, sob delineamento de blocos ao acaso. A primeira aplicação foi efetuada no sulco de plantio durante a instalação do experimento (seis repetições), enquanto as demais foram realizadas anualmente, em superfície ou incorporadas nas entrelinhas da cultura (três repetições cada). Adubações complementares com cloreto de potássio e ácido bórico foram efetuadas trimestralmente, para corrigir deficiências. Utilizaram-se mudas inermes do ecótipo, com 10 meses d...
Animal Frontiers, 2013
• Artificial insemination (AI) has increased the dissemination of genetic material and enhanced t... more • Artificial insemination (AI) has increased the dissemination of genetic material and enhanced the selection of best sires and dams.
Insect-fungal associations: …, 2005
This paper reviews the mutualistic interaction between insect and fungi. Examples of yeasts locat... more This paper reviews the mutualistic interaction between insect and fungi. Examples of yeasts located both intra-and extracellularly in certain insects are presented, and the benefits yeasts provide for the insects and their role in insect ecology, and the hypotheses on how these systems ...
The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2005
Systematic and Applied Acarology, 2011
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
PLoS ONE, 2014
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide... more The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. Like males in other species in the genus, male coffee berry borers have a lower number of facets in the compound eyes than females. The rudimentary eyes in male coffee berry borers could be an evolutionary response to their cryptic life habit, whereby they are born inside a coffee berry and never leave the berry. The main objective of the study was to determine if the differences in the number of facets translates into differences in visual acuity. We used low-temperature scanning electron microscopy to visualize and quantify the number of facets in the compound eyes. There was a significantly lower (p,0.0001) number of facets in males (19.164.10) than in females (127.563.88). To assess visual acuity, we conducted optomotor response experiments, which indicate that females respond to movement, while males did not respond under the conditions tested. The coffee berry borer is an example of an insect whereby disuse of an organ has led to a rudimentary compound eye. This is the first study that has experimentally tested responses to movement in bark beetles.
Naturwissenschaften, 2010
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most important pest of coffee throughout the ... more The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most important pest of coffee throughout the world, causing losses estimated at US $500 million/year. The thrips Karnyothrips flavipes was observed for the first time feeding on immature stages of H. hampei in April 2008 from samples collected in the Kisii area of Western Kenya. Since the trophic interactions between H. hampei and K. flavipes are carried out entirely within the coffee berry, and because thrips feed by liquid ingestion, we used molecular gut-content analysis to confirm the potential role of K. flavipes as a predator of H. hampei in an organic coffee production system. Species-specific COI primers designed for H. hampei were shown to have a high degree of specificity for H. hampei DNA and did not produce any PCR product from DNA templates of the other insects associated with the coffee agroecosystems. In total, 3,327 K. flavipes emerged from 17,792 H. hampei-infested berries collected from the field between April and September 2008. Throughout the season, 8.3% of K. flavipes tested positive for H. hampei DNA, although at times this figure approached 50%. Prey availability was significantly correlated with prey consumption, thus indicating the potential impact on H. hampei populations.
Mycoscience, 2006
The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in coffee seedlin... more The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in coffee seedlings grown in vitro and inoculated with B. bassiana suspensions in the radicle. The fungus was recovered as an endophyte 30 and 60 days postinoculation, from stems, leaves, and roots, and at 60 days postinoculation one of the isolates was also recovered as an epiphyte. Fusarium sp., Rhodotorula sp., and four bacterial morpho-species were also detected, indicating these were present as endophytes in the seed.
BioScience, 2002
E dvard Munch's The Scream is the image that popped into my head as I read through this magnifice... more E dvard Munch's The Scream is the image that popped into my head as I read through this magnificent book. Books by parents and their offspring are uncommon; only two examples come to mind: Fred and Geoffrey Hoyle, and of course Dorion Sagan and Lynn Margulis. Jason and Roy van Driesche join this literary club in high fashion with a book that should become a classic, a warning cry that merits comparison with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Jason is a graduate student in the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, while Roy, a professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts, has to his credit a body of highly respected work on biological control of insects and a textbook, Biological Control, coauthored with Tom Bellows (New York: Chapman and Hall, 1996). Jason and Roy's writing styles are complementary. Jason has the skills of a novelist. He is a traveler who gathers facts, observations, and emotions, then presents to us the characters he meets. Roy has the trained scientific eye. He gathers figures and offers concise summaries, although sometimes the excellent information he presents is so densely packed that reaching Jason's chapters brings back memories of the bell before recess.
Biological Control, 2009
The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae... more The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) was accidentally introduced into México in 1978, and rapidly became the main pest of coffee. As an exotic pest, its management has been mainly based on biological control methods through the introduction of parasitoids from Africa. In this context, at the beginning of the present decade, the parasitoid Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was imported to Mexico. Since then, several studies have been carried out as part of the post introduction evaluation of this parasitoid. In this paper, information concerning the parasitism and life-cycle of P. coffea in coffee farms is presented with the objective of providing information that elucidates its role as a biological control agent. P. coffea showed highly significant preferences for allocation of two eggs per host, usually one female and one male. Both offspring are able to develop and reach the adult stage successfully. Lifespan of adults is 2-3 days only. The degree of parasitism by P. coffea was more than 95% at the three altitudes tested, when releases consisted of a ratio of 10 CBB:1 parasitoid. The median survivorship of CBB parasitized by this wasp was 13, 15 and 19 days at the low, medium and high altitude coffee zones, respectively. The parasitism by P. coffea was higher when parasitoid releases were carried out simultaneously with the CBB, and decreased with the time between host and parasitoid releases. We showed that using P. coffea at a density of 1 parasitoid per 10 hosts resulted in a 3-to 5.6-fold decrease in CBB damage to the coffee seeds when compared to the control. The importance and value of these results are discussed in terms of the use of P. coffea as a biological control agent of the CBB in Latin America.
Biological Control, 2009
Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Ameri... more Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Americas and Asia as biological control agents of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These parasitoids have become established in the field but their effect on the CBB has been limited. A two-year field study in Western Kenya has found Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) to be the predominant parasitoid emerging from CBB-infested coffee berries collected on coffee trees or from the ground. P. nasuta comprises more than 75% of the total natural enemies collected. The density of P. nasuta was 90% higher in the berries collected from the ground than from the trees. Its hyperparasitoid, Aphanogmus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae), also emerged from both type of berries. Across the two seasons, the average P. nasuta density per berry was 18-35 times higher than that of Aphanogmus sp. Throughout the two years sampled, significantly higher numbers of P. nasuta and Aphanogmus sp. occurred between February and March, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Higher numbers of live CBB females were recorded in berries collected from the trees. Nevertheless, mortality of adult CBB was considerably higher from January to March and started to decrease from April onwards. The possibly negative effects of cultural control practices in Latin America which include the removal of berries fallen to the ground on biological control of CBB are discussed, and the use of screened collection devices for these berries which would permit the release of parasitoids but prevent escape of the pest is proposed.
The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2005
Revista Medica Herediana, 2012
Revista Colombiana De Ciencia Animal, 2012
El objetivo de esta investigación fue establecer por ultrasonografía, la frecuencia cardíaca feta... more El objetivo de esta investigación fue establecer por ultrasonografía, la frecuencia cardíaca fetal, desde el mes cuarto hasta el final de la gestación en 20 yeguas criollas colombianas, con edades entre los cuatro a los ocho años y un peso promedio de 348 ± 8,69 kg, mediante examen transrectal y transabdominal, utilizando un transductor lineal endorectal de 6,0 MHz y un sectorial convexo R40 de 3,5 MHz. Se encontraron diferencias estadísticas significativas (p ≤ 0,05) en la frecuencia cardíaca de los fetos a lo largo de la gestación frente a las reportadas en equinos de otras razas, en el cuarto mes de gestación la media de la frecuencia cardíaca fetal en latidos por minuto fue de 145 ± 6,82 y de 86 ± 5,28 en el último mes de gestación, observándose una disminución lineal gradual de la frecuencia cardíaca al aumentar el tiempo gestacional.
Horticultura Brasileira, 2004
Avaliaram-se os efeitos de doses de biossólido aplicadas no sulco de plantio sobre a produção de ... more Avaliaram-se os efeitos de doses de biossólido aplicadas no sulco de plantio sobre a produção de fitomassa aérea de pupunheiras durante o primeiro ano do cultivo. O experimento foi instalado em Ubatuba (SP), tendo sido estudado quatro doses de lodo de esgoto (equivalentes a 0; 100; 200 e 400 kg ha-1 de N), em esquema de blocos ao acaso, com seis repetições e quatro tratamentos. Foram utilizadas mudas com 10 meses de idade e densidade de plantio de 5.000 plantas ha-1. As respostas da planta às doses de biossólido foram avaliadas mensalmente, por meio de alguns caracteres diretamente relacionados ao crescimento e à produção de palmito. Com base na altura da planta foi estimado o acúmulo periódico da fitomassa aérea fresca da haste principal, ao longo do tempo. Houve diferença estatística a partir do 5º mês de plantio para as diferentes doses, tempo em que a planta se adaptou ao campo e em que os nutrientes do biossólido começaram a ser assimilados. A resposta positiva no acúmulo de fi...
Horticultura Brasileira, 2004
A estimativa da fitomassa aérea da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) por meio de relações alomé... more A estimativa da fitomassa aérea da pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) por meio de relações alométricas tem aplicação teórica e prática, sendo essencial em estudos de fisiologia de crescimento, bem como para identificar respostas e predizer a produção. No presente trabalho foram avaliadas diferentes equações buscando o melhor ajuste alométrico representativo da fitomassa da pupunheira cultivada para a produção de palmito. Foram utilizadas palmeiras inermes, da raça Putumayo, em diferentes estádios de desenvolvimento, cultivadas em Ubatuba (SP) no espaçamento de 2 x 1 m. Selecionaram-se 117 plantas, com alturas entre 0,22 e 5,04 m e diâmetros entre 2,23 e 27,06 cm. Medidas diretas, relacionadas ao crescimento, foram realizadas antes do corte. Em seguida as plantas foram separadas em diferentes partes estruturais, sendo medidas, pesadas e secas, obtendo-se a massa da matéria seca. Os dados foram submetidos à análise de regressão e ajuste de equações, tendo como variáveis independentes...
Bark Beetles, 2015
ABSTRACT The genus Hypothenemus consists of 181 species with worldwide distribution with greatest... more ABSTRACT The genus Hypothenemus consists of 181 species with worldwide distribution with greatest diversity in the tropics. Most species are very small, poorly described, and difficult to distinguish. Some common features shared by Hypothenemus species are (1) pre-dispersal sibling mating; (2) flightless males having vestigial wings; (3) a skewed sex ratio favoring females; and (4) females are bigger than males. An illustrated guide to morphological features useful in identifying members of the genus is provided. The most economically important species in the genus is H. hampei (Ferrari), the coffee berry borer, which has been reported in most coffee producing countries worldwide. A vast body of coffee berry borer-related literature published in Dutch, English, Portuguese, and Spanish has been consulted to provide an in-depth analysis of the research that has been conducted on the insect. Research areas such as the use of traps baited with non-specific attractants, the introduction of parasitoids, and the use of fungal entomopathogens have been repeatedly studied in many countries, even though the results have not been promising. Two pest management options with higher chances of alleviating the problems caused by the insect are identified: the use of attractants and/or repellents specific to the coffee berry borer.
Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo, 2007
O uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto vem se mostrando como opção para reduzir impactos ambientais e p... more O uso agrícola do lodo de esgoto vem se mostrando como opção para reduzir impactos ambientais e poluição das águas. No entanto, há necessidade de se adequar dose e freqüência de aplicação para cada cultura. Durante 40 meses, foram avaliados, em experimento de campo instalado em Ubatuba (SP), os efeitos de doses de lodo de esgoto sobre a precocidade de colheita e a produção de palmito de pupunheira. Foram testadas quatro doses anuais de lodo, correspondentes a 0, 0,5, 1,0 e 2,0 vezes a quantidade de nitrogênio recomendada para o cultivo, sob delineamento de blocos ao acaso. A primeira aplicação foi efetuada no sulco de plantio durante a instalação do experimento (seis repetições), enquanto as demais foram realizadas anualmente, em superfície ou incorporadas nas entrelinhas da cultura (três repetições cada). Adubações complementares com cloreto de potássio e ácido bórico foram efetuadas trimestralmente, para corrigir deficiências. Utilizaram-se mudas inermes do ecótipo, com 10 meses d...
Animal Frontiers, 2013
• Artificial insemination (AI) has increased the dissemination of genetic material and enhanced t... more • Artificial insemination (AI) has increased the dissemination of genetic material and enhanced the selection of best sires and dams.
Insect-fungal associations: …, 2005
This paper reviews the mutualistic interaction between insect and fungi. Examples of yeasts locat... more This paper reviews the mutualistic interaction between insect and fungi. Examples of yeasts located both intra-and extracellularly in certain insects are presented, and the benefits yeasts provide for the insects and their role in insect ecology, and the hypotheses on how these systems ...
The Quarterly Review of Biology, 2005
Systematic and Applied Acarology, 2011
BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access t... more BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.
PLoS ONE, 2014
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide... more The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most damaging insect pest of coffee worldwide. Like males in other species in the genus, male coffee berry borers have a lower number of facets in the compound eyes than females. The rudimentary eyes in male coffee berry borers could be an evolutionary response to their cryptic life habit, whereby they are born inside a coffee berry and never leave the berry. The main objective of the study was to determine if the differences in the number of facets translates into differences in visual acuity. We used low-temperature scanning electron microscopy to visualize and quantify the number of facets in the compound eyes. There was a significantly lower (p,0.0001) number of facets in males (19.164.10) than in females (127.563.88). To assess visual acuity, we conducted optomotor response experiments, which indicate that females respond to movement, while males did not respond under the conditions tested. The coffee berry borer is an example of an insect whereby disuse of an organ has led to a rudimentary compound eye. This is the first study that has experimentally tested responses to movement in bark beetles.
Naturwissenschaften, 2010
The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most important pest of coffee throughout the ... more The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most important pest of coffee throughout the world, causing losses estimated at US $500 million/year. The thrips Karnyothrips flavipes was observed for the first time feeding on immature stages of H. hampei in April 2008 from samples collected in the Kisii area of Western Kenya. Since the trophic interactions between H. hampei and K. flavipes are carried out entirely within the coffee berry, and because thrips feed by liquid ingestion, we used molecular gut-content analysis to confirm the potential role of K. flavipes as a predator of H. hampei in an organic coffee production system. Species-specific COI primers designed for H. hampei were shown to have a high degree of specificity for H. hampei DNA and did not produce any PCR product from DNA templates of the other insects associated with the coffee agroecosystems. In total, 3,327 K. flavipes emerged from 17,792 H. hampei-infested berries collected from the field between April and September 2008. Throughout the season, 8.3% of K. flavipes tested positive for H. hampei DNA, although at times this figure approached 50%. Prey availability was significantly correlated with prey consumption, thus indicating the potential impact on H. hampei populations.
Mycoscience, 2006
The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in coffee seedlin... more The fungal entomopathogen Beauveria bassiana became established as an endophyte in coffee seedlings grown in vitro and inoculated with B. bassiana suspensions in the radicle. The fungus was recovered as an endophyte 30 and 60 days postinoculation, from stems, leaves, and roots, and at 60 days postinoculation one of the isolates was also recovered as an epiphyte. Fusarium sp., Rhodotorula sp., and four bacterial morpho-species were also detected, indicating these were present as endophytes in the seed.
BioScience, 2002
E dvard Munch's The Scream is the image that popped into my head as I read through this magnifice... more E dvard Munch's The Scream is the image that popped into my head as I read through this magnificent book. Books by parents and their offspring are uncommon; only two examples come to mind: Fred and Geoffrey Hoyle, and of course Dorion Sagan and Lynn Margulis. Jason and Roy van Driesche join this literary club in high fashion with a book that should become a classic, a warning cry that merits comparison with Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Jason is a graduate student in the Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, while Roy, a professor of entomology at the University of Massachusetts, has to his credit a body of highly respected work on biological control of insects and a textbook, Biological Control, coauthored with Tom Bellows (New York: Chapman and Hall, 1996). Jason and Roy's writing styles are complementary. Jason has the skills of a novelist. He is a traveler who gathers facts, observations, and emotions, then presents to us the characters he meets. Roy has the trained scientific eye. He gathers figures and offers concise summaries, although sometimes the excellent information he presents is so densely packed that reaching Jason's chapters brings back memories of the bell before recess.
Biological Control, 2009
The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae... more The coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) was accidentally introduced into México in 1978, and rapidly became the main pest of coffee. As an exotic pest, its management has been mainly based on biological control methods through the introduction of parasitoids from Africa. In this context, at the beginning of the present decade, the parasitoid Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was imported to Mexico. Since then, several studies have been carried out as part of the post introduction evaluation of this parasitoid. In this paper, information concerning the parasitism and life-cycle of P. coffea in coffee farms is presented with the objective of providing information that elucidates its role as a biological control agent. P. coffea showed highly significant preferences for allocation of two eggs per host, usually one female and one male. Both offspring are able to develop and reach the adult stage successfully. Lifespan of adults is 2-3 days only. The degree of parasitism by P. coffea was more than 95% at the three altitudes tested, when releases consisted of a ratio of 10 CBB:1 parasitoid. The median survivorship of CBB parasitized by this wasp was 13, 15 and 19 days at the low, medium and high altitude coffee zones, respectively. The parasitism by P. coffea was higher when parasitoid releases were carried out simultaneously with the CBB, and decreased with the time between host and parasitoid releases. We showed that using P. coffea at a density of 1 parasitoid per 10 hosts resulted in a 3-to 5.6-fold decrease in CBB damage to the coffee seeds when compared to the control. The importance and value of these results are discussed in terms of the use of P. coffea as a biological control agent of the CBB in Latin America.
Biological Control, 2009
Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Ameri... more Several parasitoids of African origin have been introduced to coffee producing areas of the Americas and Asia as biological control agents of the coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). These parasitoids have become established in the field but their effect on the CBB has been limited. A two-year field study in Western Kenya has found Prorops nasuta (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) to be the predominant parasitoid emerging from CBB-infested coffee berries collected on coffee trees or from the ground. P. nasuta comprises more than 75% of the total natural enemies collected. The density of P. nasuta was 90% higher in the berries collected from the ground than from the trees. Its hyperparasitoid, Aphanogmus sp. (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae), also emerged from both type of berries. Across the two seasons, the average P. nasuta density per berry was 18-35 times higher than that of Aphanogmus sp. Throughout the two years sampled, significantly higher numbers of P. nasuta and Aphanogmus sp. occurred between February and March, which coincides with the beginning of the rainy season. Higher numbers of live CBB females were recorded in berries collected from the trees. Nevertheless, mortality of adult CBB was considerably higher from January to March and started to decrease from April onwards. The possibly negative effects of cultural control practices in Latin America which include the removal of berries fallen to the ground on biological control of CBB are discussed, and the use of screened collection devices for these berries which would permit the release of parasitoids but prevent escape of the pest is proposed.