Integrated Pest Management for Control the Date Palm Green Pit Scale Insect Palmapsis phoenicis Ra (Homoptera: Asterolecaniidae) in Sudan

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is an economic and food security crop in Sudan. Estimated annual date production from 8 million date palm trees is about 431,000 mt, which is far below the country’s potential. Sudan has been famous in the world for its production of dry dates. Six good local commercial cultivars are available, and research is coming up with better compositions of cultivars by local selection and foreign introduction from tissue laboratories. Sudan is still free from the devastating red palm weevil and the destructive bayoud caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. albedinis. The green date palm scale insect is an exotic pest, which appeared in the Golid area (1974). In other palm groves of the world it is considered of minor or no importance, but it developed in Sudan in a very explosive way. The total number of infested trees is 1,200,000. In the past, and due to a lack of indigenous knowledge of appropriate control measures to control the insect, the control efforts adopted in Sudan, basd on foliar applications of contact insecticides and mineral oils, were not successful (1991–1992). Hence, the level of infestation has steadily increased. Following intensive research, an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach began by adopting the use of cultural practices or sanitary measures, which were supplemented with chemical controls, using systemic neonicotinoid insecticides (thiamethoxam and imidacloprid), such as Confidor 200 SL and Actara 25 WG, and augmented by utilising the impact of natural enemies of the pest, together with plant quarantine legislation. A comprehensive programme by the Plant Protection Directorate (PPD) has been conducted in infested areas. The sustainable biological control of the green pit scale is vitally important. Results of surveys have revealed that many natural enemies associated with the insect have been recorded, with the Nitidulidae beetle predators found in all surveyed areas. The beetle Cypocephalus dudichi L., the lady bird Pharoscymnus numidicus, and Chrysoperla sp., with the parasitoid Metaphycus sp. are mostly found in association with green pit scale insect.