The Tree of Life for Life

The Coconut Tree, often considered by Filipinos as the tree of life, provides us with
different useful things coming from roots up to the fruits.
The word coconut may refer to the entire palm tree, the seed or the fruit. But botanically
speaking, the coconut we know is not a nut but instead, it is a drupe. A drupe is an
indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with
a seed inside. The coconut tree is dominant in tropical countries, especially in areas with
high humidity.
Juans Coco Industry
Back in 2010, the Philippines was the top producer of coconut in the whole world, with a
record of an estimated 19.5 million tons. The Philippines was followed by two fellow Asian
countries, Indonesia and India, ranking 2nd and 3rd respectively.
The Philippines entered the Coco-Water industry in the past years. The Coco-Water was a
hit in the US and other foreign countries. It was used as a healthy alternative to carbonated
drinks and energy drinks.
Vita Coco, a leading manufacturer of Coco-Water is planning to invest $15 million in the
Philippines over the following years.
Although the Philippines is pushing forward in the coconut industry, a problem is arising,
hindering the continuous growth of the industry.
Cocolisap: The Industrys underminer
The scale insects (Aspidiotus rigidus) popularly known as the Cocolisap are small plant
parasites that feed on the leaves of young palms and surface of the fruits. The Cocolisaps
are distinguishable by their white, scaly characteristic and are usually seen under the
leaves of infested trees.
These pests prefer hot and dry weather which allow them to reproduce faster. The 2009 El
Nino that hit the CALABARZON area, especially Batangas, is suspected as the cause of the
fast reproduction of the pests.
When a tree is infected, the leaves wilt and its color turns to yellow, thus preventing
photosynthesis to happen. This causes premature nuts to fall and results to poor
productivity.
Aside from palm trees, the Cocolisap also attacks ornamental plants and other fruit bearing
trees like lanzones, mangosteen, guava, mango, papaya, and avocado.
Solutions to Juans Coconut Problems
To prevent further spreading and damaging other crops, the Philippine government
formulated solutions to help our farmers on their pest problems.

One of the solution was injecting and spraying insecticides to the infected trees. But
toxicologists, scientist and farmers were alarmed with this toxic approach of the
government. Neonicotinoids, the substance which is injected and sprayed over the infected
coconuts, is highly toxic and lethal to the environment and humans.
Meanwhile, a Bulacan based inventor discovered an organic way to fight these pests. Jesse
Ambrocio developed an organic spray that he calls Green and Blue Earth Enterprises
Beneficial Effective Micro Organism or GBEEBEMO. The GBEEBEMO according to Ambrocio
is a combination of four different organic compounds which are all eco-friendly.
Another, scientists from the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) discovered a
natural way to fight back the pestering Cocolisap. The group discovered the natural enemy
of the Cocolisap. The Comperiell sp (Encytidae, Hymenoptera),an insect native to the
Philippines, is a natural enemy of the pest.
The parasitoid which is described like a wasp and a relative of bees, punctures the scales of
the Cococlisaps and deposits its eggs into the host insect. The larvae then feeds on the pests
internal tissues until the host dies. The process then takes about 25 days.
After the Cocolisap broke out, may the rising industry of the so called Tree of Life, push
forward to help the country.