ASD de Costa Rica firmly believes in the protection of the environment, and in the idea that pest and disease management start with the promotion of a vigorous growth, which gives the plant a much better chance to defend itself against most potential biological and environmental dangers.

With this in mind, our plant protection program is deeply involved with the normal management of the plantation, the objective of which is to anticipate to the occurrence of problems. The main approach is preventive rather than curative. Efforts are directed at improving the physical characteristics of the soil to promote root growth and give the plants a balanced nutrition. Poor root growth and unbalanced nutrition, particularly low levels of potassium, have been consistently associated with diverse phytosanitary problems.

When the situations warrants, only the most environmentally friendly agrochemicals are used. The use of several formulations of Bacillus thuringiensis has been necessary in the past to help in the control of some defoliating pests. However, at the same time, great efforts have been made to give the plants a balanced nutrition and to document and encourage the proliferation of our native flora, which supplies food and shelter to the numerous parasitoids and predators of known palm pests.

The fly parasitoid Pachycrepoides vindenmiae (Pteromalidae) is being successfully mass bred and released in places where stable and domestic flies proliferate associated with the placing of organic matter in the field, particularly empty fruit bunches. Good results have been also obtained breeding Alchaeorrhychus grandis (Pentatomidae) in low-cost facilities. Current efforts are dedicated to exploring mass breeding of some other parasitoids.

The red ring disease pathogen Bursaphelenchus ( Radinaphelenchus ) cocophilus and its vector Rhynchophorus palmarum (the American palm weevil) were reduced to the category of secondary problems through the use of an efficient integrated control program. Key elements in this program include reducing the sources of inocula of the nematode, the elimination of breeding sites of the vector, and the reduction of the adult population of the vector through the use of traps baited with the aggregation pheromone of the male insect. Such programs have been successfully implemented in other countries besides Costa Rica.