Grenada protects soursop from a new pest ^{CEFR B1}

Soursop is a valuable crop in Grenada and the country is the only one in the Caribbean authorised to export fresh soursop to the United States. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, soursop has become Grenada’s largest source of foreign agricultural earnings, valued at US$ 2.6 million.

In May 2020 farmers confirmed the presence of a sucking insect called croton scale after sending samples to the Florida Department of Agriculture. The pest attacks shoots, leaves and fruits of several trees and produces honeydew that promotes sooty mold. Female scales can live 60 days and lay up to 400 eggs, and farmers reported damaged trees and lost sales when buyers rejected sooty or spotted fruit. For example, one farmer saw sales fall from 500 pounds to 300 pounds at times, and on one farm the insect spread to about 500 of 1,200 soursop trees.

Grenada’s Pest Management Unit used pesticides, neem oils, pruning and spraying but had limited capacity, with about four people spraying across roughly 30 farms. Authorities are now using biological control, moving and rearing natural enemies, and training farmers to identify beneficial insects. Experts say ongoing monitoring and longer-term management are necessary because biosecurity and surveillance remain weak.