New pest threatens homegrown crops
It?s a common concern for everyone in the agricultural sector, the deliberate, or unintentional importation of destructive insects which can then translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars in loss to local farmers. This week, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) released findings on a new pest that is threatening our home grown products.
Jacqueline Woods, Reporting
What you are looking at is an enlargement of the newest pest in Belize. Thrips Palmi or Melon Thrip may be smaller than your thumb nail, but its aggressive nature makes it one of the most problematic insects in the agriculture sector. How this animal found it?s way into the country has still got experts scratching their heads,but the Belize Agricultural Health Authority has a few good guesses as to how it made its maiden voyage.
Francisco Gutierrez, Director, Plant Health, BAHA
?Given the amount of trade that we get into this country especially cut flowers, vegetables; it could have probably come in through regular trade of commodities coming in. You know being very tiny even the best of inspectors can probably miss it. Another aspect is you know contraband; people bringing in produce especially from Mexico and this pest is present in the Campeche region of Mexico and it?s very close to us so that is another hypothesis. Plus people travel to, every single day, to and from and the pest is also present in Florida. In the Americas, those were the two regions where the pest is present apart from the Caribbean, but I mean the mainland those have been. So people travelling to these countries you know probably sometimes smuggling in fruits or vegetables or cuttings of flowers that they like is highly probably that could have been another way of coming in.?
The insect is believed to have been in the country for about a month, but it did not take long to find its favourite food that includes all varieties of Cucurbits. Farmers especially in the northern districts became alert after their crops were attacked and then destroyed.
Francisco Gutierrez
?We found the insect in almost all the growing areas of the four northern districts that?s Belize, that?s a small area, the Belize District is a small area that produces vegetables. It?s widespread in Cayo, widespread in Corozal, widespread in Orange Walk. So it?s almost all growers who have any kind of Cucurbits or family of pumpkins and the melons and the watermelons. Almost all growers that have these crops have the insect present in their fields. ?
?It?s a sucking insect. What it does really, it doesn?t really eat the fruit or the product, it really pierces the fruit and sucks the juice the sap or whatever. ?
Because the insect likes to nestle in the crooks and crevices of plants and it reproduces quickly the management of the bug will be challenging.
Francisco, Director, Plant Health, BAHA
?It?s just another headache. We already have a lot of problems in the agricultural sector when it comes to pests and production and everything and you know a small country trying to compete out there, to have another pest, we have to incur cost of management and everything.?
Today BAHA consulted with key producers to make them aware of the situation, its potential socioeconomic impact on the agricultural sector and the plan of action and strategies that will be used to manage and mitigate the impact of the pest. Hugh O?Brien, the chief executive officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries says, they have already notified the Regional Organization of Plant and Health Oirsa and the International Plant Protection Agency, I.P.P.C. about the infestation of Thrips Palmi in Belize.
Hugh O?Brien, CEO, Ministry of Agriculture/Fisheries
?The second thing that the ministry intends obviously working very closely with BAHA officers will be to step up our field surveillance and therefore try to get a better feel of how well distributed this pest is. We know it?s already in four districts and we are going to pay very keen attention in the areas where peppers are produced and where papayas are produced. In the case of our export crops we have decided that all of our officers who are inspecting the peppers for export and the papayas for export, they are to lookout specifically for this pest and we have asked the U.S.D.A. for information as to what is the requirement they have in place if this pest is reported in a country and whatever requirements they indicate, we are going to put in place.?
In the meantime Farmers are being advised to contact BAHA for information and carefully inpect their crops susceptible to the insect such as cucumbers, zuchinnis, melons and watermelons including beans and peppers.
Franciscio Gutierrez
?What they need to look at is the growing tips might start changing colour or being deform. You know from that lush green they might turn into slightly yellow or bronze, then they can suspect that it?s there. Then they will have to really look very finely because being extremely tiny its hides into the tiny leave sand cracks. They have to really open their leaves, look on the under side of the leaves because that is where they prefer they don?t like the top; they like the underside and what they will find is this extremely tiny elongated yellow insect, yellow almost transparent, translucent and then you can pretty sure that you are looking at that particular pest.?
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will also be working with their regional and international partners for technical and financial support. O?Brien says he does not believe the USDA will recommend that temporary bans be imposed because Belize has proven that it has a very effective Medfly control programme and did successfully address the pink hibiscus mealey bug that infected Belize a few years ago.
