The threat of red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus to date plantations of the Gulf region in the Middle-East: An economic perspective

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa M. R. El-Sabea ◽  
J. R Faleiro ◽  
Mahmoud M. Abo-El-Saad
Author(s):  
V.A. Abraham ◽  
M. A. AI Shuaibi ◽  
J.R. Faleiro ◽  
R. A. Abozuhairah ◽  
P.S.P.V. Vidyasagar

The date palm, Phoenix doctylifera L., is the most important fruit crop in the Middle East, cultivated since prehistoric times. Since mid-eighties the dreaded pest of palms viz. the red palm weevil. Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv. has been reported to cause serious damage to date palm in certain pockets of the Gulf region. The pest subsequently spread to most of the date growing centers in the region and attained a key pest status. The unique agroclimatic conditions prevailing in the Middle East and the nature of the crop, coupled with transportation of planting material have helped in the rapid development and spread of the pest in a short period of about a decade Feeding of the soft tissues by this concealed borer often leads to the death of the palm. if timely curative measures are not adopted. However, taking up curative measures in the early stage of attack is often not possible as detection in infestation in the early stage is difficult. Moreover, the presence of neglected date gardens, beheaded palms, retention of unwanted off shoots etc. make the problem intricate. To tackle this problem from various angles and successfully combat the pest, the following Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programme is suggested. The major components of the IPM strategy are surveillance, trapping the weevil using pheromones lures, detection of infestation by examining palms. Eliminating hidden breeding sites, clearing abandoned gardens, maintaining crop and field sanitation, preventive chemical treatments, curative chemical control implementing quarantine measures and training and education.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-97
Author(s):  
Al- Otaibi Wafa Mohammed ◽  
Khalid Mohammed Alghamdi Alghamdi ◽  
Jazem A. Mahyoub

The red palm weevil(RPW),Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) is one of the most threatening pests of date palm trees in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Which considered as category Iinsect pest in the Gulf region and the Middle East, according toFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Therefore, this research was planned to study the dynamic fluctuation of RPW, its relationship to some environmental factors (temperature & relative humidity) and to determine sexual ratio in Makkah city during 2019. In addition to clarifying color preference by using food bait pheromone traps (FBPTs). The results revealedthe presence of RPW throughout the year, with significant differences in numerical densities according to different collection times. The study also recorded the highest population density during April & March, and it was the highest significantly compared to that were collected during July, October, August and September. The study also recorded two peaks of RPW activity throughout the year. A major summit in April and a smaller summit in December. Statistical analysis results showed that the RPW has significant activity at spring compared to the other seasons, while the least active for RPW was at autumn.The results also showed a negative significant correlation between the mean population density of RPW and temperature; and a positive non-significant correlation between seasonal abundance and relative humidity, with significant differences between the mean of male and female with ratio(1:3), respectively. Black traps were more effective and significantly in attracting RPW than other tested colors.


2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 409-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul Moneim Al-Shawaf ◽  
Abdullah Al-Shagag ◽  
Mansour Al-Bagshi ◽  
Sami Al-Saroj ◽  
Salim Al-Bather ◽  
...  

Abstract The red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), (Coleptera: Curculiondae) is a key pest of date palm in the Middle East. This weevil is currently being reported from over 50% of the date growing countries of the world. The date palm Phoenix dactylifera cropped area in the Middle East, has significantly increased during the last two decades where date palm is mainly propagated through offshoots. The red palm weevil larvae are often found in the offshoots, resulting in the spread of the pest and also its re-inoculation where RPW is already controlled. Currently, there are no quarantine protocols to ensure that date palm offshoots which are transported for planting, are free of RPW larvae. In this study, date palm offshoots were sprayed while still attached to the mother palm and also dipped separately with Fipronil 3.5% (Thripguard 35 SCTM) and Imidacloprid 35% (Confidor 350 SCTM) a day after detachment from the mother palm. Fipronil and Imidacloprid were tested at 0.008 % and 0.01%, respectively. Results revealed that dipping gave complete mortality of the larvae. Dipping was significantly better than spraying since spraying resulted in only partial mortality of the larvae. It was also seen that dipping offshoots in Fipronil 0.004% and 0.002% for 30 and 60 min, respectively, resulted in 100% mortality of the larvae tested. Further, toxicity studies resulted in complete mortality of larvae and adults that were exposed to offshoot tissue that was dipped in Fipronil at the above concentrations. For this reason, it is recommended to dip date palm offshoots in 0.004% Fipronil for 30 min before transporting to ensure complete mortality of the hidden larval stages, if any and complete certification and transport of the treated offshoots to the new planting site within 72 h of treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 190-192
Author(s):  
H.A. El-Shafie ◽  
M.E. Mohammed ◽  
A.A. Sallam

Date palm offshoots represent an important source of planting material in many date palm-growing countries around the world. Infestation by the red palm weevil ((RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), the longhorn beetle ((LHB) Jebusaea hammerschmidti) and the rhinoceros beetle ((OB) Oryctes spp.) hinders commercialization and movement of these offshoots. An effective quarantine protocol, with exposure period of 72 h at 25 °C using ECO2FUME (EF) with phosphine concentration of 1500 ppm has been developed for date palm offshoots against these coleopteran internal tissue borers.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 594
Author(s):  
Qian-Xia Liu ◽  
Zhi-Ping Su ◽  
Hui-Hui Liu ◽  
Sheng-Ping Lu ◽  
Bing Ma ◽  
...  

Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, is a notorious pest, which infests palm trees and has caused great economic losses worldwide. At present, insecticide applications are still the main way to control this pest. However, pesticide resistance has been detected in the field populations of RPW. Thus, future management strategies based on the novel association biological control need be developed. Recent studies have shown that the intestinal tract of RPW is often colonized by multiple microbial species as mammals and model insects, and gut bacteria have been found to promote the growth, development and immune activity of RPW larvae by modulating nutrient metabolism. Furthermore, two peptidoglycan recognition proteins (PGRPs), PGRP-LB and PGRP-S1, can act as the negative regulators to modulate the intestinal immunity to maintain the homeostasis of gut bacteria in RPW larvae. Here, we summarized the current knowledge on the gut bacterial composition of RPW and their impact on the physiological traits of RPW larvae. In contrast with metazoans, it is much easier to make genetic engineered microbes to produce some active molecules against pests. From this perspective, because of the profound effects of gut bacteria on host phenotypes, it is promising to dissect the molecular mechanisms behind their effect on host physiology and facilitate the development of microbial resource-based management methods for pest control.


Author(s):  
N. Alshammari ◽  
Meshari Alazmi ◽  
Naimah A. Alanazi ◽  
Abdel Moneim E. Sulieman ◽  
Vajid N. Veettil ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral studies have investigated palm trees’ microbiota infected with red palm weevil (RPW) (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), the major pest of palm trees. This study compared the microbial communities of infected and uninfected palm trees in the Hail region, Northern Saudi Arabia, determined by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. The results indicated that taxonomic diversity variation was higher for infected tree trunk than the healthy tree trunk. Soil samples from the vicinity of healthy and infected trees did not have a significant variation in bacterial diversity. Myxococcota, Acidobacteriota, and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in RPW-infected tree trunk, and Pseudomonadaceae was the most prominent family. This study is the first report on the characterization of RPW-infected and healthy palm trees’ microbiome.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 611
Author(s):  
Patamarerk Engsontia ◽  
Chutamas Satasook

The red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a highly destructive pest of oil palm, date, and coconut in many parts of Asia, Europe, and Africa. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has called for international collaboration to develop a multidisciplinary strategy to control this invasive pest. Previous research focused on the molecular basis of chemoreception in this species, particularly olfaction, to develop biosensors for early detection and more effective bait traps for mass trapping. However, the molecular basis of gustation, which plays an essential role in discriminating food and egg-laying sites and chemical communication in this species, is limited because its complete gustatory receptor gene family still has not been characterized. We manually annotated the gene family from the recently available genome and transcriptome data and reported 50 gustatory receptor genes encoding 65 gustatory receptors, including 7 carbon dioxide, 9 sugar, and 49 bitter receptors. This study provides a platform for future functional analysis and comparative chemosensory study. A better understanding of gustation will improve our understanding of this species’ complex chemoreception, which is an important step toward developing more effective control methods.


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