Pest Management in Horticultural Ecosystems

  • Year: 2014
  • Volume: 20
  • Issue: 1

A note on bat, Cynopterus sphinx (Vahl) damage to Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora) plants in Kodagu, Karnataka, India

  • Author:
  • M. S. Uma, B. V. Ranjeeth Kumar, P. Abdul Rahiman, P. K. Vinod Kumar1, N. Ramamurthy
  • Total Page Count: 3
  • DOI:
  • Page Number: 92 to 94

Department of Entomology, Coffee Research Sub Station, Chettalli, Kodagu dt, Karnataka-571248, India

1Central Coffee Research Institute, Coffee Research Station, Balehonnur, Chikmagalur Dt., Karnataka, India

Abstract

The fruit eating bat, Cynopterus sphinx, plays important role in pollination and seed dispersal in many plants. Yet, they are considered as pests on fruit and plantation crops due to their voracious feeding habit. The extensive feeding of bats on tender twigs of robusta coffee leads to drying of fruit bearing branches resulting in crop loss. The present study is an attempt to quantify the crop loss caused by the bats on robusta coffee. The data indicated that the crop damage ranged from 5.9 to 9.48 percent.

Keywords

Coffee, bearing twigs, damage, Short nosed fruit bat