Ferry1, M. Kamal2, R. Faleiro3, S. Gomez1, T. Yaseen4, I. Al-Jboory5
(1) Phoenix Research Station (PRS), Elche, Spain; (2) Plant Protection Research Institute, Dokki, Gize, Egypt; (3) Goa, India; (4) FAORNE-Cairo, Egypt; (5) FAO regional consultant
Email address of the corresponding author: [email protected]
Red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is a key pest of date palm. The pest is currently managed in date palm and other palm-based agroecosystems using a pheromone-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy that mainly relies on inspecting palms to detect infestations, mass trapping adult weevils, preventive and curative chemical treatments, and eradication of severely infested palms, in addition to enforcing phytosanitary measures. Attract and kill (A&K) technology has been widely used to control insect pests in various crops worldwide. In 2023, two extensive field trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of A&K in eliminating the adult population of RPW in heavily infested date plantations in Egypt using Smart FerrolureTM. Results revealed that A&K technology rapidly eliminated the adult RPW population in the field, with a single application being effective for over three months. In trials 1 and 2, a mean reduction of 55.10 and 77.12%, respectively, was recorded in trap captures in plots treated with A&K dollops. This technique can be deployed as a component of the RPW-IPM strategy, particularly in heavily infested plantations that are difficult to access. It also eliminates the use of routine preventive insecticide sprays.
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, date palm, attract and kill, RPW
https://doi.org/10.22268/AJPP-001428