Effect of Microclimate on the Mass Emergence of Hypothenemus hampei in Coffee Grown under Shade of Trees and in Full Sun Exposure
by
, , , and
Valentina García-Méndez
1
,
Rebeca González-Gómez
1,2,
Jorge Toledo
1,
Javier Francisco Valle-Mora
3,† and
Juan F. Barrera
1,*
1
Department of Arthropod Ecology and Pest Management, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, Tapachula 30700, Chiapas, Mexico
2
Researchers Program for Mexico, Consejo Nacional de Humanidades, Ciencias y Tecnologías, Av. Insurgentes Sur 1582, Col. Crédito Constructor, Benito Juárez, Mexico City 03940, Mexico
3
Statistics Area, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Carretera Antiguo Aeropuerto km 2.5, Tapachula 30700, Chiapas, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Current address: Tapachula Campus, Tecnológico Nacional de México, Tapachula 30700, Chiapas, Mexico.
Insects 2024, 15(2), 124; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15020124
Submission received: 30 November 2023
/
Revised: 27 January 2024
/
Accepted: 6 February 2024
/
Published: 9 February 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biology, Ecology, and Management of the Coffee Berry Borer (Hypothenemus hampei))
Simple Summary
Rain acts as a triggering factor for the mass emergence of females of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (CBB), which shelter in old and unharvested berries, mainly in regions with a dry season. As they emerge from the old berries, thousands of CBB females fly out to search for and infest the coffee berries of the new crop. Very little information is available, however, about the effect microclimate on CBB or, in particular, about the interaction between the shade trees, the microclimate, and the mass emergence of CBB females. We conducted a field experiment in two Robusta coffee plots, one grown under shade trees and the other in full sun exposure. During the coffee intercropping period, when mass emergence of the CBB occurs, we set up a meteorological station to record microclimate data and installed traps to capture the females that fly out during the day, collecting caught individuals every hour. We found that female emergence increased after midday. Although more flying females were captured in the coffee plot grown under shade trees, the relationship between microclimatic variables and CBB mass emergence was similar for both shade conditions. This behavior has important implications for monitoring and pest management, because female CBB populations are more concentrated and exposed to natural and artificial mortality factors.
Abstract
The rainfall regime has a significant impact on the microclimate and mass emergence of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) (CBB). Little is known, however, about the shade tree–microclimate–CBB mass emergence interaction. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of microclimate on the mass emergence of CBB in a full sun-exposed plot with a plot shaded by trees. The experiment was conducted on a Robusta coffee farm in southern Chiapas, Mexico. In each plot, 18 traps baited with an alcohol mixture were installed to capture flying females, collecting caught individuals every hour from 8:00 to 18:00 h. A meteorological station recorded several microclimatic variables on 13 weekly sampling dates from February to May 2022. Significantly more CBB females were captured in the shaded plot. The largest number of CBB captures was recorded between 14:00 and 16:00 h for the shade plot and between 15:00 and 17:00 h for the sun-exposed plot. The mass emergence of CBB showed a positive association with precipitation, dew point, and wind speed samples and a negative association with maximum air temperature, average relative humidity, ultraviolet radiation, wind speed, and equilibrium moisture content. Our observations show that the relationship between shade trees, microclimate, and mass emergence of CBB is complex and that its study helps us to gain deeper insight into CBB bioecology and advance control techniques against this important pest.
