Prospects for Biological Control of Taro Beetles, Papuana spp. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in the South Pacific

Abstract

Adults of taro beetles, Papuana spp. (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae), damage corms of taro (Colocasia esculenta) and other aroids and, less seriously, a range of other crops in five countries in the South Pacific (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Kiribati, and Fiji). Previous control measures were based on the use of pesticides, which is inappropriate in subsistence agriculture. The present project (South Pacific Commission/European Community (SPC/EC) Project for the Biological Control of Taro Beetles in the South Pacific, part of the Pacific Regional Agricultural Program) aims to develop cultural and biological control of the beetles. Studies on taxonomy, distribution, biology, ecology, and cultural and biological control are in progress; the latter focus on the use of pathogens.