Pest Of Date Palm Research Articles

Preliminary notes on the phenology and biology ofbatrachedra amydraula meyrick (lepidoptera: cosmopterygidae), a new pest of date palms in israel

Batrachedra amydraula Meyrick was detected for the first time in Israel in 1970. Injury inflicted to date plantations by this pest resulted in considerable fruit drop and serious losses in yield. The appearance of the pest in the plantation is limited to a period from late March to early July. In their last stage of development, the larvae undergo diapause, which is affected by changes in daylength during early spring and late summer.

Integrated control of date palm pests in Israel

A description is given of efforts to develop an integrated control program for successful pest management of date palms in Israel. Work has been concentrated on biological control of the key pestP. blanchardi, and on alternative control operations for the remaining pests. The fact that date fruit is concentrated in bunches was used successfully to enable efficient control of fruit pests with only little interference with the biological control ofP. blanchardi. The integrated control program has resulted in a drastic decline of theP. blanchardi population and in successful and easy control of the other pests.