Originally from Asia, up to 5 centimeters and reddish, the female adult pits eggs that turn into larvae that attack the trees
A centenary palm tree collapses in and among its dry leaves emerges the “red-red”, a small beetle that is synonymous with destruction and threatens the great palm trees of the east of the country. Like this palm tree in a section square, about 60 kilometers from Montevideo, thousands of copies are being removed in a race against time to avoid a catastrophe. “In South America there is no (other) country that has registered the presence of red-red. O and are on the maximum alert,” says AFP Carola Negrone, agronomist in environmental management of the government of the Canelones department, which surrounds the capital.
Negrone was the one who detected the insect (Rhynchophorus rustuses) in 2022 in canneelones. Originally from Asia, up to 5 centimeters and reddish, the female adult boot eggs that turn into larvae that attack the palm trees. Unlike other pests, they are gregarious, which makes them more dangerous. “We are in an uncontrollable situation, the plague has spread a lot, is already in eight departments” of the country, says Gastón Colominas, also agronomist and producer of Palmeiras.
Uruguay without palm trees?
The temperature is critical to the paragraph proliferation rhythm, more active above 15 ° C. “It is scientifically proven” that the increase in temperatures “favors the proliferation of exotic pests like this and others,” says Negrone. The advancement of the plague is evident in emblematic places such as the Rambla de Montevideo, an extensive boardwalk that borders the River Prata, where several palm trees exchanged the green of their hearts for a brown that foreshades his death.
Red Biculant attacks with great voracity to Phoenix Canariensis, a species originating from the Canary Islands, but also showed that it can affect native specimens such as butyaceae and pindó, black alert. The question is: Can Uruguay be without palm trees? “I don’t believe it, they should be able to control,” says AFP Gabriela Corbo, a 56 -year -old administrative employee sitting at Plaza Independencia, in front of the headquarters of the national government, which houses dozens of Palmeiras.
More pessimistic, Luciano García qualifies the situation as “horrible.” This 66 -year -old retired considers that “the next generations will have to get used to the fact that we will not have Palmeiras.”
Avoid a catastrophe
At the national level, an invasive exotic species committee works within the Ministry of Environment in a single protocol to handle the pest. For now, “what is being done is on individual level, based on city halls and private initiative,” explains Colominas. The treatments and the extractions of the affected palm trees are costly. “Endotherapy is our main ally,” says Andrés Vernengo, from the company Proarbol, while injecting phytosanitary into a palm tree to interrupt the plague’s reproductive cycle.
Duchas, biological control and traps are also used, as red-red “can not be fought with a single weapon,” warns Martín Barindelli, an employee of Canelones City Hall. Each palm treated has an annual cost of about $ 118 (638 reais), estimates Barindelli. “It is a chronic disease that will have to be funded and planned for the future,” he adds.
The Canary Islands in Spain have successfully implemented a rigorous plague control and eradication plan. The Uruguayan government should decide what to do with Palmeiras on private land and also face a complex scenario in the east of the country.
On the border with Brazil, the threat surrounding the Palmares of Rocha, a unique ecosystem full of the species Butiá (Butia Odorata) that belongs to Bañados del Este, a reserve of the declared UNESCO heritage since 1976. As a preventive measure, Rocha officials banned the entrance of Palmeiras.
The neighbors watch
The “red-red”, also present in Mexico, is closely monitored by the Argentine and Brazilian authorities. Consulted by AFP in August, Argentina’s phytosanitary authority (Senasa) stated that the insect was not present in its territory. The same happens in Brazil, where for now “is absent”, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, who cites a publication of Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company).
*With information from AFP
Posted by Fernando Dias
