Nanochitosan to control the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus infest more than nearly 40 palm species around the world. They damage the internal tissues of palms by the larval stage which is the serious stage. Nanoparticles represent a new generation of environmental remediation technologies that can provide cost-effective solution to some of the most challenging environmental clean-up problems. They also help to produce new pesticides. Nanochitosan is used to control the red palm weevil larvae and adults. The results show that it affects the mortality percentage of R. ferrugineus larvae. The mortality percentage increased by increasing the time and concentrations of nanochitosan, since 100% mortality was obtained at the concentration 80000 ppm after (15–20) days time interval. The percentage of mortality of R. ferrugineus female and male showed that the most effective concentration of nanochitosan was 20000 ppm, where 100% mortality was obtained in time interval 10–20 days. In addition, nanochitosan affects the biology of red palm weevil by decreasing pupation percentage, emergence percentage, pupal duration number of eggs/female, hatchability percentage and longevity of males and females as compared to the control. LC50 and Lc25 of nanochitosan disturbs the total protein and total carbohydrates. The activity of enzymes (protease, invertase and amylase) of larvae and adult (males and females) was disordered. We conclude that nanochitosan can be used as a control tool to the red palm weevil.