Anagyrus lopezi

Anagyrus lopezi Latest News

Two years after scientists from the National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources (NBAIR), released a tiny parasitic wasp Anagyrus lopezi into South India’s tapioca fields, the crop that once faced near devastation from an invasive pest is now thriving again.

About Anagyrus lopezi

• It is a tiny parasitic wasp which specifically targets the cassava mealybug.
• Working: The wasp lays its eggs inside the pest, and the developing larvae consume it from within, naturally reducing mealybug numbers without harming other crops.
• The parasitoids spread naturally beyond the release points, up to 30–40 km, gradually bringing the mealybug population under control.
• It was imported from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Benin, West Africa.

Key Facts about Tapioca (Cassava)

• It is a major horticulture crop cultivated in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry.
• It is cultivated throughout the tropical world for its tuberous roots, from which cassava flour, breads, tapioca, a laundry starch, and an alcoholic beverage are derived. 

Climatic Conditions Required for Tapioca

• Soil: Any well-drained soil, preferably red lateritic loamy soil.
• Climate: It thrives best in a tropical, warm, humid climate
• Rainfall: Well-distributed rainfall of over 100 cm per annum.
• This crop can be cultivated upto an elevation of 1000 m.
• All parts of cassava/tapioca – leaves, stem, tuber and rind – contain the compounds called cyanogenic glucosides (CNGs).

Source: TH

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