Optimal control of red palm weevil model incorporating sterile insect technique, mechanical injection, and pheromone traps

Abstract

The red palm weevil is one of the most dangerous pests affecting date palm trees in the Gulf region and the Middle East. This paper investigates the control of the red palm weevil (RPW) in date palms using several techniques, namely stem injection, sex pheromone traps, and the Sterile Insect Technique. A mathematical model describing the spread of the red palm weevil is presented, and the boundedness of the solution for the RPW system is studied. The conditions for local stability, forward bifurcation, and Hopf bifurcation are also obtained. Additionally, this research highlights the significance of optimal control in managing RPW and simulates the model using the Forward-Backward Sweep numerical method. It is observed that the parameters of the sterile insect technique, the pheromone trap, and the mechanical injection play important roles in controlling the RPW. Mechanical Injection may be more effective in controlling the palm weevil compared to the other two methods.