<![CDATA[ABSTRAK Ledakan populasi hama Promecotheca cumingii Baly (= nucifera Maul.) (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae) di Sulawesi Utara, pertama kali terjadi pada tahun 2015 di Kecamatan Modayag, Kabupaten Bolaang Mongondow Timur, Sulawesi Utara. Larva dari hama ini merusak daun dengan cara menggerek masuk kedalam lamina daun (leafminers = pengorok daun). Selama hidup larva dan pupa berada dalam liang gerekannya di daun. Serangga dewasa merusak dan meninggalkan bekas gigitan memanjang pada daun. Pada kerusakan berat, tanaman kelapa kelihatan seperti terbakar, sehingga dapat mengurangi produksi kelapa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mempelajari tingkat kerusakan tanaman, populasi hama dan musuh alaminya. Dalam penelitian ini dipilih 3 lokasi di Kecamatan Modayag kemudian masing-masing lokasi dipilih 5 pohon contoh secara acak dalam areal serangan. Dari setiap pohon diambil satu pelepah daun di bagian tengah tajuk, selanjutnya diambil setiap anak daun ke-10 dan dihitung populasi larva, pupa, imago, dan musuh alami. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan populasi larva dan pupa dari hama P. cumingii di Modayag rata 2,2 individu/anak daun atau sekitar 517 individu/pelepah daun kelapa. Kerusakan hama pada kategori serangan berat dan sangat berat dapat mencapai 94,3% dari 140 tanaman contoh yang diamati dengan rata-rata kerusakan antara 70 - 85%. Situasi serangan seperti ini, diperkirakan dapat menyebabkan penurunan produksi sampai 95%. Pemanfaatan musuh alami yang menginfeksi hama ini seperti cendawan entomopatogen Beauveria sp. dan Metarhizium sp. mempunyai peluang untuk menekan populasi hama ini dalam jangka panjang dan ramah lingkungan. Konsepsi pengendalian hama terpadu merupakan salah satu alternatif yang tepat dalam pengendalian hama P. cumingii di lapangan, dengan memanfaatkan semua komponen pengendalian yang sesuai, supaya dapat meningkatkan sistem usahatani kelapa yang lebih baik.Kata kunci: Promecotheca cumingii, kerusakan tanaman, musuh alami. Attack of Coconut Pest Promecotheca cumingii Baly in East Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi Province ABSTRACT Coconut pest Promecotheca cumingii Baly (= nucifera Maul.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) outbreaks in North Sulawesi, firstly occurred in 2015 in Modayag sub district, East Bolaang Mongondow Regency, North Sulawesi Province. Larvae of this leafminers chew and burrow into the leaf tissue. Larvae and pupae spend their entire life inside the leaflets. Adults feed on young leaflets and make characteristic thin longitudinal lines on the lower surfaces of the leaflets. Serious damage can cause scorched fronds and might lead to a significant coconut yield losses. The purposes of this research were to study palm damage, pest population and their natural enemies. Three locations were selected on the Modayag Sub District. In each location 5 palms were selected randomly in the area of the pest attack. At each palm one coconut frond was taken in the middle of the canopy, and the leaf damage, population of larvae, pupae, adult, and natural enemies were measured and counted on the leaflet samples that was taken at every 10th leaflet. The results showed that the average population of larvae and pupae of P. cumingii in Modayag was 2.2 insects/leaflet or about 517 insects/coconut frond. The average plant damage was about 70% to 85%. 94.3% of the total of 140 plant samples observed was severely damage in the outbreak areas. The estimated coconut yield losses as a result of the given plant damage could reach 95%. Use of natural enemies associated with pest, such as entomopathogenic fungi Metarhizium and Beauveria, could provide long term control and environmentally friendly way. Integrated pest management is a promising alternative of P. cumingii control by utilizing all appropriate control components to improve the coconut farming system.Keywords: Promecotheca cumingii, palm damage, natural enemies.]]>
