I am the founder of Mostly Magik Solutions LLC in Hawaii
Our mission statement is
“Creating Magikal Solutions
for Global Challenges”
I’ve come up with a Solution for the CBB dilemma in Hawaii and abroad.
This CBB Bye Bye solution is based on works and discussions given by John Lucas of Rothamstead Research Center, UK. John is head of the Plant pathology department
You may find his current article on Advances in Plant disease and pest management helpful and informative. ( http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/food-and-farming/science/11-551-sr4-advances-plant-disease-and-pest-management )
Our CBB solution has 3 parts to it.
The first 2 parts:
The solution is a foliar spray (given by hand spraying under the tree) that acts as an inoculant for the coffee tree. It will target and assist the plants’s immune system to do a couple of important items
a) neutralize the current attractant that draws in the beetle.
b) create an internal environment, specifically in the berry terrain, that will not allow specific support fungi of the beetle to grow.
The foliar spray is fully safe to the environment, not harming other bugs, bees, or humans. There is a small amount of organic fish fertilizer ( 5-1-1) that is added to the inoculant so the trees takes it in as a “treat” and distributes it systemically.
The base is using natural bacteria colonies as the workhorses that establish a symbiotic relationship with the coffee tree.
The bacteria will also work with 2 specific fungi species that naturally occur on the Coffee tree.
So there will be no high concentration introductions of predatory fungi, that can have collateral damages to friendly biota, such as bees..
This is a 3 foliar inoculation process.
1st inoculation. Start date.
2nd inoculation, in approx 30 days.
3rd inoculation (booster)– in approx 6 months.
No further foliar applications required for this beetle.
Inoculations can be given to the tree at any time of year. Sizes of tree can be from small root stock to mature trees. Slight differences in inoculation amounts is adjusted accordingly.
This inoculation is also working with the tree’s innate immune system as discussed by John Lucas. Providing for a more dynamic natural immune response to “Pests”. Not relying solely upon the latest and greatest chemical soup. Looking to work more with the plants natural defence/immune systems.
John Lucas states in his article about this new approach to plant protection being needed “A crucial question for crop protection over the next 10–20 years is whether the rapidly improving understanding of the molecular basis of pathogenicity and plant defence will, within the foreseeable future, translate into novel approaches for the discovery and development of new chemistries designed to manipulate specific molecular targets, either in regulation of host resistance, or disabling the disease-causing processes of pathogens.”
3rd Part
This part will be of most interest to the County and agriculture in general.
You may have noticed this is not a Death to the Beetle application.
Generally speaking, creating eradication programs creates havoc in the local bio-webs.
This has been seen many times in history
With regards to plant products that act as attractants, repellents, and pheromone messages to neighbouring plants,,, John Lucas states within his articles;
“The realization that plant natural products can also serve as signals modifying pest behaviour, as well as influencing other trophic levels (predators and natural enemies) in the crop ecosystem, has implications for managing both crops and associated plant species to reduce the impact of pests in the field.”
Our CBB Solution is based in part knowing what the beetle is attracted to.
Knowing this attractor, we have the means to change the bio-terrain of a pest tree species to make it more attractive to the beetle borer. This has a lot of implications for other agriculture pest challenges.
We will be discussing this option with the county, and Ag Dept of the University, for determining which weed species they would like the 3rd Part of the solution used for.
