Activity of Insect Fauna during the Night in the Palm Orchards of Central Iraq

Abstract

The study was carried out at three palm orchards, each of 2.5 hectare in Al-Madain palm orchards (30 km, South Baghdad) contains the palm varieties (Prem, Osta omran, Zahdi, Berhee, Khadrawi, Khastawi, Oueedi and Tebarzel) in 2010 season aiming to determine the population density of palm borers and to know other insect occurring in date palm orchards. Three light traps with solar energy (Magna Traps with lamps of 320-420 nm wavelength are produced by Russell IPM) were used as one trap in each orchard. The number of fruit stalk borer, Oryctes elegans and frond borer, Phonapate frontalis adults were calculated per week in each trap aiming to determine the population density of adults in the three orchards under this study. Results of using light traps (Magna Traps) indicated that the number of O. elegans adults catch per trap during the period from April to December 2010 were 254, 217 and 240 adult/trap in orchards No. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, the higher population densities were 87 ,79 and 81 adult/trap per month, respectively reported in July. Also, the study indicated that the population density of frond borer, Phonapate frontalis catch per trap during the period from April to December 2010 were 34, 58 and 54 adult/trap for orchards No. 1, 2 and 3, respectively, the higher population densities were 10, 21 and 15 adult/trap per month, respectively reported in June. Many insect groups were caught in light traps, the insect fauna composed of nineteen insect groups, 12 are coleoptera, 1 hemiptera, 1 hymenoptera, 1 homoptera, 2 dermaptera, and 2 orthoptera, the numbers of this insect were recorded per month a year round in palm orchards.