Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

Pests and Diseases 159
Species: Avicennia germinans (L.) L.
Creole Name: mang nwa
Family: Verbenaceae
Insect Pests: Wood borer (Sphaeroma terebrans Bate) attacks the tree in Florida. A
scale (Icerya seychellarum Westw.) causes defoliation in the Indo-Pacific. Larvae of
Cleora injectaria Walker infest leaves and defoliates in the Indo-Pacific. High intensity
of leaf miner activity has been reported in Puerto Rico. Marine borers (Toredo spp.)
attack wood in Puerto Rico.
Disease: Fungal pathogens (Alternaria alternata and Phytophtora spp.) cause defoliation
and occasionally kill the tree in Australia.
Reference: Jimenez and Lugo, 1985.
Species: Azadirachta indica Adr. Juss.
Creole Name: nim
Family: Meliaceae
Insect Pests: A beetle (Apate monachus) attacks both living and dead wood, retarding
growth, deforming trunks, and making them susceptible to wind damage in· Central
America and the Caribbean. A carpenter bee (Hymenoptera: Xylocopinae) penetrates
deep into stems and branches of drought-stressed trees in Haiti and makes them prone
to wind damage. Scale insects attack nursery seedlings in Haiti, turning leaves yellow
and causing them to fall prematurely. Furthermore, their honeydew secretions attract
ants and the development of sooty molds. Other insect pests include: scale (Aonidiella
orientalis in Africa and Pinnapsis strachni) in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; leaf-cutting
ants (Acromyrmes spp.) in Central and S. America; the tortricid moth (Adoxophes
aurata) in Asia and Papua New Guinea; a tea mosquito (Helopeltis theivora) in S. India;
and the pyralid moth (Hypsipyla spp.) in S. Australia.
Diseases: Fungal diseases attacking nursery seedlings in Haiti include leaf spot
(Cercospora leucostica, C. meliae, and Phyllosticta sp.) that forms lesions on the leaf
and also infects stems and petioles; and damping off (Fusarium and Rhizoctonia). A
"carrot top" disease attacks seedlings and deforms leaf development and crown shape
sporadically in Haiti. Fungal diseases reported in other parts of the world include root
rot (Ganoderma lucidum), blight (Corticum salmonicolor), and leaf spot (Cercospora
subsessilis). A bacterial blight (Pseudomonas azadirachtae) attacks the tree in India. A
canker disease that discolors the wood has been reported.
References: Josiah and Allen-Reid, 1991; NRC, 1992; Runion et aI., 1990; Tourigny,
1987.
Species: Buchenavia capitata (Vahl) EichI.
Creole Name: grigri jon
Family: Combretaceae
Insect Pests: Numerous insects infest and feed on seeds in Puerto Rico. Marine borers
(Toredo spp.) attack the heartwood. Powder post beetles (Lyctus spp.) attack the sapwood
in Puerto Rico.
Other Pests: Rats split the endocarp and eat the seed embryos in Puerto Rico.
Reference: Weaver, 1991.