Abstract
Field experiments were conducted during the periods from June, 2014 to March, 2015, in three date palm orchards located in Al Ain city, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in order to evaluate the attraction efficacy for five different sources from the red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorous ferrugineus Oliver (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), aggregation pheromone by using the standard four window black bucket trap. The three orchards are characterized by having different levels of infestation incidence by red palm weevil. The Randomize Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatment and three replicates was used in each of the three orchards. The aggregation pheromone sources used in this experiment were: Rhyfer 700, Pherocon RDPW Lure, Ferrugitom 700, Weevil lure, and Ferrulure +. Collectively in the three farms as well as per each farm, Weevillure aggregation pheromone trap capture significantly lower average numbers of RPW adults than Rhyfer, Pherocon, Ferrulure, and Ferrugitom pheromone sources. Rhyfer pheromone is about 1.12, 1.18, 1.56 & 1.16 % more efficient than Pherocon, Ferrugitom, Weevillure & Ferrulure, respectively.
Highlights
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorous ferrugineus Oliver (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important tissue-boring pest of date palm in many parts of the world
This study aims to evaluate the attracting efficiency for the five different sources from the commercial aggregation pheromone available in the local market under field conditions that represents different infestation levels by red palm weevil
Mean number of RPW captured by the Weevillure pheromone (214.33) weevils per trap was significantly lower than that of the mean number of weevils caught by other sources
Summary
The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorous ferrugineus Oliver (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is an economically important tissue-boring pest of date palm in many parts of the world. This weevil was first described in India as a serious pest of coconut palm (Lefroy 1906) and later on date palm (Buxton 1918). It is very difficult to detect RPW in the early stages of infestation It is detected only after the palm has been severely damaged. Injured trees release highly volatile compounds (kairomones) that attract male weevils (Gunawardena et al 1998) Upon their arrival, males produce aggregation pheromones that attract both sexes, and the females begin laying eggs in soft or injured areas on the lower trunk of the tree. The newly hatched larvae feed on the soft plant tissue, digging deep into the plant trunk, compromising its structural integrity and disrupting nutrient transport to the upper part of the tree, which culminates in death of the plant if not managed (Murphy & Briscoe 1999)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
