Abstract
The coconut mite, Aceria guerreronis, colonizes the fruit perianth, a region covered by floral bracts, which hinders its control. Its attack causes epidermal necrosis, fruit deformation, and premature fruit drop, with yield losses ranging from 10% to 70%. Infestations generally begin in fruit up to three months old. Since the age of the fruit at the time of infestation can influence not only the severity of damage but also fruit abortion, these aspects were investigated through field experiments. Fruit aged 2 to 5 months were artificially infested with A. guerreronis, and every 15 days, necrotic area and number of aborted fruit were quantified until harvest (≈ 8 months). Both damage severity and abortion rate were significantly higher in younger fruit (2-3 months) than in older fruit (4-5 months); however, damage severity had no direct influence on abortion. These results indicate that the extent of necrotic lesions is not a determining factor for fruit abortion. Despite significant damage observed in some infested fruit, many remained attached to the plant and continued to develop. Others, however, aborted without any necrotic lesions. These findings suggest that other factors, such as physiological mechanisms of tolerance or compensation by the host plant, may influence fruit retention. Understanding these dynamics is essential to improve pest management strategies and avoid overestimating potential yield losses associated with mite infestation.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Mite damage severity was significantly higher in 2–3 month fruit than in 4–5 month fruit.
- Taxon
- coconut treest0
- Organ / stage
- younger fruit (2-3 months)e1
- Treatment
- artificially infested with A. guerreronise0
- Interactor
- A. guerreronis
Aceria guerreronise0pest - Outcome
- damage severitye1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- older fruit (4-5 months)e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“coconut trees”
e0“Fruit aged 2 to 5 months were artificially infested with A. guerreronis”
e1“Both damage severity and abortion rate were significantly higher in younger fruit (2-3 months) than in older fruit (4-5 months)”
Claim · model-written summary
Mite infested 2–3 month fruit had significantly higher abortion rates than 4–5 month fruit.
- Taxon
- coconut treest0
- Organ / stage
- younger fruit (2-3 months)e1
- Treatment
- artificially infested with A. guerreronise0
- Interactor
- A. guerreronisAceria guerreronise0pest
- Outcome
- abortion ratee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- older fruit (4-5 months)e1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“coconut trees”
e0“Fruit aged 2 to 5 months were artificially infested with A. guerreronis”
e1“Both damage severity and abortion rate were significantly higher in younger fruit (2-3 months) than in older fruit (4-5 months)”
Claim · model-written summary
Damage severity had no direct influence on fruit abortion.
- Taxon
- coconut treest0
- Organ / stage
- fruite1
- Outcome
- abortione0
- Qualifier
- damage severity had no direct influencee0
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
t0“coconut trees”
e0“damage severity had no direct influence on abortion”
e1“also fruit abortion”
Claim · model-written summary
Some severely damaged infested fruit remained attached and developed.
Verbatim
t0“coconut trees”
e0“Despite significant damage observed in some infested fruit, many remained attached to the plant and continued to develop”
Claim · model-written summary
Some fruit aborted without necrotic lesions.
Verbatim
t0“coconut trees”
e0“Others, however, aborted without any necrotic lesions”
The same questions in other papers
infection · disease · Cocos nucifera (coconut palm)Positive and negative results
3 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.