Palms around the world are ruthlessly attacked and damaged by the Red Palm Weevil. It targets coconut, date, oil and other palms causing great economic loss to the growers. In some countries it not only causes direct losses but also transmits diseases as a vector of dreaded red ring dise
In nature there are some predators like earwigs which feed on the loose eggs. However, there are no biocontrol agents capable of reducing the pest population. Several laboratories have tested and tried to introduce biocontrol agents like entomopathogenic nematodes, fungal pathogens etc., but wi
Coconut palm monitoring: The palms in the age group of 5-20 years should be regularly surveyed for identifying any infestation. This has to be done atleast once in a month.
Date palm monitoring: In date palm gardens, young palms should be checked thoroughly. Palms with offshoots on the stem sh
R. ferrugineus is essentially a pest of palms, being recorded on Areca catechu, Arenga pinnata, Cocos nucifera, Borassus flabellifer, Phoenix dactylifera, Phoenix sylvestris, Phoenix canariensis, Elaeis guineensis, Calamus merillii, Caryota maxima, Caryota cumingii, Corypha gebanga, Corypha elata, L
Many advances have been made in the frontier areas of biotechnology, tissue culture, genetic evaluation, genomics of plants and insects. Some mind boggling technologies which were only hypothetical have been transformed into reality in the form of GM crops. Along with positives, there are severa
Coconut palm damage percentage: Generally the extension agencies record the number of infestions by the pest to understan its severity in a given location, region, province etc. This will help in formulation extension programs to suit the local needs.
Date palm damage percentage: Here al