The Colombian Agricultural Institute, ICA proclaimed three insects as pests that needed official control in the cultivation of Persea americana miller avocados and established measures to manage and control them in Colombia.
The pests are the Lauri Heilipus Boheman seed borer (Coleoptera:curculionidae), the Heilipus trifasciatus seed borer (Fabricius), and the fruit, seed, and branch borer Stenoma catenifer Walsingham (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae).
"It's necessary to regulate these pests because they are present in the country and they can generate a negative economic impact on avocado production, as they restrict the fresh fruit's access to new markets and have a high risk of spreading. Thus, we need to exercise official control and establish phytosanitary measures to manage them," said Carlos Alberto Soto, assistant manager of Plant Protection in the ICA.
The Persea americana miller avocado crops in Colombia are exposed to phytosanitary risks because the environmental conditions can be favorable for the development of pests and there is a high risk of epidemics if proper management is not performed.
All natural or legal persons who grow and/or have avocado plants in the country must implement phytosanitary measures related to pest monitoring, pest management, mobilization of plant material, and informing the ICA about the presence of regulated pests.
Source: ica.gov.co
