Management of the mite-fungi-bacteria complex, a new challenge for Central American rice growers

Despite its social and nutritional importance and research and development efforts, rice in Central America shows low productivity and can hardly compete with yields achieved in the Southern Cone or North America. If we add phytosanitary threats to the above, the situation becomes more difficult.

In this framework, the mite-fungus-bacteria complex (CAHB, its acronym in Spanish) became a threat to the sustainable production of rice in the region. It was first reported in Cuba (1997) where yield losses reached 80%; and later in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and later in the Central American region, where losses reached 60%. In response to this challenge, a research consortium formed by CIAT (Colombia); the National Rice Corporation (CONARROZ) and Semilla Nuevo Milenio (SENUMISA) (both from Costa Rica), INTA (Nicaragua), and IDIAP (Panama) agreed on the project “Development of Technologies for the Control of the New Acaro-Fungus-Bacteria Pest Complex Present in Central America and Colombia”. This initiative has contributed to the sustainable production of rice, by increasing yields and quality, reducing production costs, slowing down environmental degradation caused by excessive use of pesticides, and at the same time favoring the profitability and competitiveness of the crop.