Investigation reports tissue damage and high plant mortality in young coffee plants caused by caterpillars in Brazil, indicating a potential agricultural threat.
Caterpillars of Agrotis ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) has commonly been found attacking young coffee ( Coffea arabica ) plants in Brazil (State of Minas Gerais), with lesions being observed in the stems and residues of caterpillar feces found in the bark. A few days after the attack, the tissue damage appears less intense because of a woody suberization and healing process, hampering pest detection. There was a higher mortality of plants (13.9%). This is the first record A. ipsilon damaging young coffee plants in Brazil and new cases could arise in other locations where this plant is grown.
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Fernandes et al. (2013) studied this question.
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