Coffee (Coffea spp)
White stem borer (Xylotrechus quadripes)
Symptoms
- Larvae enter into hardwood and make tunnels
- Tunnels are tightly filled with excreta
- Infested plants show external ridges around the stem.
- yellowing and wilting of leaves.
- The young plants (7 to 8 year old) attacked by the borer may die in a year while older plants withstand the attack for a few seasons, yielding more of floats.
Management
- Maintain optimum shade
- Prune the infested plants, uproot if the borer has entered the root and burn the affected parts.
- Proper agronomic practices to retain plant vigour
- Remove loose scaly bark to discourage egg laying
- 10% lime application on main stem and thick primaries during flight periods
- Repeated application of neem oil on the stem
- Use of pheromone traps to monitor incidence

