Publications by CPCRI Staff

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Management of Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus Oliv., A Serious Pest of Date Palm in Al Qatif, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
(2000) Vidyasagar, P.S.P.V.; Ali A. Al Saihati; Omer E. Al Mohanna; Ali I. Subbei; Abdul Mohsin, A.M.
The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Oliv, is the most serious pest of date palm in the Arabian Peninsula. As the control of the pest was not effective with any single control method, an integrated management system was developed and implemented in the most seriously affected Al Qatif region of Saudi Arabia. The methods of control included the survey of all the cultivated gardens in the region, systematic checking of all palms for infestation, periodic soaking of palms in cultivated gardens and mass removal of neglected farms. Regular survey was conducted in about 3,055 gardens with a total of 4,64,785 palms. Infestation was brought down from 6.6% in the year 1993 to around 2.5% in 1997, with proper implementation of the management practices. There has been an increase in mild infestation and decrease in severely infested palms. The weevil population in the region had also been reduced considerably after the use of mass pheromone trapping system. A total of 4,09,109 palms in neglected farms were eradicated with heavy machinery to eliminate the breeding places for the weevil. All these methods have contributed to the successful implementation of a comprehensive integrated management system in the region.