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Oil palm spiralling whitefly

The rugose spiralling whitefly (Aleurodicus rugioperculatus) is a Central American invasive sap-sucking insect that has become a significant pest of coconut and oil palm in southern India. ICAR-NBAIR first detected the species on coconut in Pollachi (Tamil Nadu) in 2016, and the pest has since spread rapidly across the south Indian palm belt.

Identification and symptoms

Adults are 2-3 mm long with white wings dusted in waxy powder. Egg-laying females deposit eggs in characteristic spiral patterns on the underside of leaflets, surrounded by white flocculent wax. Heavy colonies coat the leaf undersides in white waxy material, and honeydew excreted by the nymphs supports thick layers of sooty mould on lower fronds and on understorey crops, reducing photosynthesis and canopy quality.

Host crops and life cycle

The pest attacks coconut (Coconut Ceylon Yellow, Coconut Kerala Bondam Dwarf), oil palm (Oil Palm Cultivation) and a wide range of ornamental and fruit hosts. It completes its life cycle (egg-nymph-pupa-adult) in 30-40 days at tropical temperatures, allowing multiple generations per year.

Damage and economic impact

Within a few years of first detection, the whitefly had spread to roughly 1.35 lakh hectares of coconut and oil palm across south India, including major growing belts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Direct yield losses on coconut have been documented in heavily infested gardens, alongside aesthetic and trade-related impacts.

Management

ICAR-NBAIR established a biological control programme that has substantially curtailed the pest:

  • Parasitoid: Encarsia guadeloupae, an aphelinid parasitoid that has achieved 56-82% natural parasitism in surveys after introduction.
  • Entomopathogenic fungus: Isaria fumosorosea strain NBAIR pfu-5, which has produced up to around 91% mortality of nymphs in field tests.
  • Cultural: water-jet sprays to wash off colonies; conservation of indigenous predators such as Cybocephalus beetles and Chrysoperla lacewings.
  • Chemical: limited; broad-spectrum insecticide use is discouraged because it disrupts parasitoid activity.

See also: Oil Palm Cultivation, Coconut Ceylon Yellow, Coconut Kerala Bondam Dwarf.

References

  1. Rugose Spiralling Whitefly. ICAR-NBAIR.
  2. ICAR-NBAIR curtails RSW through biocontrol. ICAR.