IAPPS NEWSLETTER

Number III      March, 2010

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The American Phytopathological Society (APS) and the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences (IAPPS) are joining forces in Honolulu in 2011.

The 2011 APS Annual Meeting and the XVII International Plant Protection Congress (IPPC) will be held jointly August 6-10 in Honolulu, Hawaii. This multidisciplinary meeting held by two of the premier professional associations in the field of plant protection will bring together top speakers and researchers to discuss today's most critical topics and present the latest developments in plant science.

Hawaii's central location in the Pacific Rim, as well as its exotic plant life and distinctive natural setting, will make this a truly unique experience for plant pathologists and plant health scientists from around the world.

The Call for Papers will be open February 1 - March 15, 2011.

For more information and updates:
http://www.apsnet.org/meetings/APS-IAPPS

Dr. Bill Tweedy
2011 IPPC Program Chair
E-mail: bgtweedy@aol.com

CLASSICAL BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF PAPAYA MEALYBUG IN ASIA

The first report of occurrence of papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus in Indonesia and India in May and July 2008, respectively was reported in IAPPS Newsletter, December 2008. Subsequently papaya mealybug was reported from Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.

Papaya mealybug is a polyphagous pest with a host range of over 60 species of plants, however, papaya is most susceptible and die out within a few months after being attacked. This mealybug is a native of Mexico and it invaded the Caribbean Islands, South America and Florida in the 1990s and Guam, Palau, and Hawaiian Islands from 2002 to 2006. Infestations in all these countries and islands were brought under control with the introduction of the parasitoids, Anagyrus loecki, Acerophagous papayae, and Pseudleptomastrix mexicana (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae).

The IPM CRSP assisted Horticultural Crops Research and Development Institute (HORDI) of Sri Lanka in identification and confirmation of the papaya mealy invasion in that country in the later part of 2008. Also it assisted in approval and coordination of a shipment of parasitoids from the APHIS USDA rearing facility in Puerto Rico and on May 15, 2009 a total of 10,000 parasitoids (A. loecki 2,000, P. mexicana 3,200, and A. papayae 4,800) were sent to Sri Lanka.

On May 16, 2009 the parasitoids were released in Polonnaruwa, Colombo, Kurunagala, Kagalle, Matale and Kandy districts. Part of the shipment was used for multiplication of the parasitoid at HORDI insect rearing laboratories. Later on laboratory reared parasitoids were released from time to time in various sites.

Post releases surveys conducted at monthly intervals showed that they have established in all the sites and papaya mealybug was controlled to a level of 95-99% within two months of release.

In September 2009, the establishment of the papaya mealybug in Maldives has been confirmed but it was also suspected that some of the parasitoids have been fortuitously introduced from Sri Lanka. India has requested Sri Lanka for supply of the papaya mealybug parasitoids. It is expected other Asian countries wherein the papaya mealybug has invaded in recent years, to import parasitoids either from Sri Lanka or Puerto Rico for classical biological control.

(Information from Indra Wahundeniya, HORDI; Ananda Wickramasinghe, Consul General of Sri Lanka, Los Angeles; Aminath Shafia, Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture, Maldives; and Gillian Watson, California Department of Food and Agriculture is acknowledged).

Dr. R. Muniappan
Program Director, IPM CRSP
E-mail: ipm-dir@vt.edu

CONSORTIUM SET UP TO ADDRESS NEW VIRUS PROBLEM

The Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Dr Bui Ba Bong, announced the formation of an IRRI-China-Vietnam consortium to address concerns of the potential threat the new virus disease carried by the white back plant hopper (WBPH) can pose to rice production in Vietnam and China. Scientists involved in the consortium will be from the Plant Protection Department (PPD) and Plant Protection Research Institute (PPRI) of Vietnam, Zhejiang University (ZU) and Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS) of China and IRRI scientists, Drs I.R Choi and K.L. Heong. A set of action plans that will include research, workshops and training in pest and disease monitoring, disease diagnosis, virus-insect-plant relationships and management options will be developed and implemented.

Dr Bui Ba Bong, Vice Minister of agriculture and rural development of Vietnam, speaking at the closing of the Rice Planthopper workshop

In August 2009 a report on the spread of a new virus transmitted by the white back planthopper (WBPH) in the southern provinces of China was posted by Professor Z. Lu. (see http://ricehoppers.net/2009/11/03/new-virus-carried-by-wbph-becoming-widespread-in-hybrid-rice/) At the same time, many fields in the Red River Delta of Northern Vietnam were found to be attacked by virus and samples examined by Vietnamese and Chinese scientists confirmed the presence of similar virus found in China. Virologists has labeled this virus Southern Black Streak Dwarf virus (SBSDV) carried by the white back planthopper (WBPH).

In November, 2009 Chinese, Vietnamese and IRRI scientists visited Hanoi and found maize plants with virus symptoms. The SBSDV can also affect maize and several other grasses. Since these grasses are alternative hosts of WBPH their abundances can increase the potential of further virus spread.

Dr. K.L. Heong
IAPPS Coordinator, Region VIII: Southeast Asia
IRRI, Los Baņos, Philippines
E-mail: k.heong@cgiar.org

The IAPPS Newsletter is published by the International Association for the Plant Protection Sciences and distributed in Crop Protection to members and other subscribers. Crop Protection, published by Elsevier, is the Official Journal of IAPPS. IAPPS Mission: to provide a global forum for the purpose of identifying, evaluating, integrating, and promoting plant protection concepts, technologies, and policies that are economically, environmentally, and socially acceptable. It seeks to provide a global umbrella for the plant protection sciences to facilitate and promote the application of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to a the world's crop and forest ecosystems. Membership Information: IAPPS has four classes of membership (individual, affiliate, associate, and corporate) which are described here. The IAPPS Newsletter welcomes news, letters, and other items of interest from individuals and organizations. Address correspondence and information to: Dr. Manuele Tamo, Editor IAPPS Newsletter Biological Control Center for Africa, IITA-Benin 08 B.P. 0932 Tri Postal, Cotonou, Republic of Benin E-mail: m.tamo@cgiar.org