New Initiatives for Management of Red Palm

Weevil Threats to Historical Arabian Date Palms *

Item Type Article

Authors Mukhtar, Muhammad; Rasool, Khawaja G; Parrella, Michael

P.; Sheikh, Qaiser I; Pain, Arnab; Lopez-Llorca, Luis Vicente;
Aldryhim, Yousif N.; Mankin, R. W.; Aldawood, Abdulrahman S.

Citation New Initiatives for Management of Red Palm Weevil Threats

to Historical Arabian Date Palms * 2011, 94 (4):733 Florida
Entomologist

Eprint version Publisher's Version/PDF

DOI 10.1653/024.094.0401

Publisher Florida Entomological Society

Journal Florida Entomologist

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Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10754/555769

 New Initiatives for Management of Red Palm Weevil Threats to
Historical Arabian Date Palms
Author(s): Muhammad Mukhtar, Khawaja G Rasool, Michael P. Parrella, Qaiser
I Sheikh, Arnab Pain, Luis Vicente Lopez-Llorca, Yousif N. Aldryhim, R. W.
Mankin and Abdulrahman S. Aldawood
Source: Florida Entomologist, 94(4):733-736.
Published By: Florida Entomological Society
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1653/024.094.0401
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 Mukhtar et al: Red Palm Weevil Management in Saudi Arabia 733

NEW INITIATIVES FOR MANAGEMENT OF RED PALM WEEVIL THREATS TO

HISTORICAL ARABIAN DATE PALMS*

MUHAMMAD MUKHTAR1, KHAWAJA G RASOOL2, MICHAEL P. PARRELLA3, QAISER I SHEIKH 4, ARNAB PAIN5,
LUIS VICENTE LOPEZ-LLORCA6, YOUSIF N. ALDRYHIM2, R. W. MANKIN7, AND ABDULRAHMAN S. ALDAWOOD2
1
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan; E-mail: [email protected]

2
Department of Plant Protection, College of Food and Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia;
E-mail: [email protected] (KGR), [email protected] (YNA), [email protected] (ASA)

3
Department of Entomology, UC Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8584;
E-mail: [email protected]

4
Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (MBB), Firth Court, Western Bank, University of Sheffield,
Sheffield, S10 2TN, ENGLAND, United Kingdom; E-mail: q.i.sheikh@sheffield.ac.uk

5
Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), Chemical Life Sciences and Engineering Division, King
Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia; E-mail: [email protected]

6
Multidisciplinary Institute for Environmental Studies “Ramón Margalef,” Department of Marine Sciences and
Applied Biology, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain; E-mail: [email protected]

7
USDA-ARS CMAVE, 1700 SW 23rd Dr., Gainesville, FL 32608; E-mail: [email protected]

*Summarized from presentations and discussions at The Challenge, Red Palm Weevil,
Workshop, March 29-31, 2010, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

The date palm is an important part of the religious, cultural, and economic heritage of the
Arabian Peninsula. This heritage is threatened by the recent invasion of the red palm weevil
(RPW) from Southeast Asia. In Saudi Arabia, a national campaign for control of RPW by con-
tainment/destruction of infested plants, injection and spraying of biochemical and chemical
pesticide treatments in heavily infested and newly infested areas, and the use of pheromone/
kairomone traps for monitoring and reduction of RPW populations has been only partially
successful in controlling its spread. New methods are needed to help manage the RPW pop-
ulations. At a workshop in Riyadh in March 2010, plans were recommended to 1) devise and
test new biological, chemical, and biotechnological methods to manage RPW in farms and
urban palms; 2) compare the economic and logistic feasibility of acoustic and other detection
methods against RPW larvae; and 3) develop biosensor indicators of RPW infestation in date
palms. If these initiatives are successful, they will be of great assistance to landscape and or-
chard managers dealing with such a challenging pest of a highly valuable tree.

Key Words: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, Phoenix dactylifera, biosensor, acoustic detection

RESUMEN

La palmera datilifera es considerada una parte importante del patrimonio religioso, cultural
y económico de la Península Arábiga. Este patrimonio está amenazado por la reciente inva-
sión del picudo rojo de las palmeras (PRP) del sudeste de Asia. En un taller celebrado en
marzo de 2010, se recomendaron las siguientes planes: 1) diseñar y probar nuevos métodos
biológicos, químicos y biotecnológicos para manejar el PRP en granjas y palmas urbanas, 2)
comparar la viabilidad económica y logística del método acústico y otros métodos de detec-
ción contra las larvas de PRP y 3) elaborar indicadores biosensores para infestaciones de
PRP en las palmeras datiliferas. Si estos esfuerzos tienen éxito, será de gran ayuda para los
administradores que trabajan en el campo y las huertas que tienen que enfrentar esta desa-
fiante plaga de un árbol de alto valor para la región.

For many people in the Arabian Peninsula, the cultural, and economic heritage. Saudi Arabia is
date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is more than home to more than 23 million date palms and
just a fruit tree; it is a symbol of their religious, ranks third worldwide in fruit yield and area un-
734 Florida Entomologist 94(4) December 2011

der cultivation (Erskine et al. 2004). Saudi date et al. 2011, Massoud et al. 2011), but with only
palms came under threat in the early 1980s with partial success. Recently, Geographic Information
the arrival of the red palm weevil (RPW) (Rhyn- System (GIS) based techniques were used to
chophorus ferrugineus) (Olivier) (Abraham et al. check efficiency of pheromone traps in areas of
2001). Infestations of RPW have been reported in high and low RPW activity. A statistical model
over 50% of the date palm growing countries, has been proposed based on weevil capture infor-
sparing none in the Middle East (Faleiro 2006). mation and support use of GIS in weevil manage-
The destructiveness of RPW in Saudi Arabia is ment strategies (Massoud et al 2011). In addition,
abetted by several traditional farming practices, recent testing of variations in design and height
including the use of flooding rather than drip irri- of traps suggest that RPW are captured most effi-
gation, which provides good harborage for adult ciently in red color traps (Al-Saoud et al. 2010).
RPW during dry periods, and the removal of A national campaign for control of RPW in
leaves during harvesting or pruning of offshoots, Saudi Arabia has been initiated based on the
which causes incidental injuries to trees (Aldry- most successful of the management programs de-
him & Khalil 2003). Injured trees release highly veloped to date. The campaign currently involves:
volatile compounds (kairomones) that attract
male weevils (Gunawardena et al. 1998). Upon • Agricultural sanitation.
their arrival, males produce aggregation phero- • Removal of heavily infested palms and
mones that attract both sexes, and the females grinding them into small pieces, using
begin laying eggs in soft or injured areas on the resultant material as a plant growth
lower trunk of the tree. The newly hatched larvae medium in place of peat moss.
feed on the soft plant tissue, digging deep into the
plant trunk, compromising its structural integ- • Treatment of all palm trees (infested and
rity and disrupting nutrient transport to the up- uninfested) in heavily infested areas using
per part of the tree, which ultimately culminates biochemical and chemical pesticide injection
in death of the plant if not managed (Murphy & and sprays.
Briscoe 1999). • Injection and spray treatment of infested
Different control measures that have been con- trees as well as those within 3 km of infested
sidered, including containment/destruction of in- trees in newly infested areas or areas of low
fested plants, biochemical and chemical pesticide infestation. Pheromone/ kairomone traps are
treatments, biological control, and sterile insect used to evaluate the control program.
techniques have been only partially successful in
controlling the spread of RPW in Saudi Arabia Despite efforts such as the above, an estimated
(Prabhu et al. 2010) as has been found also in 80,000 palm trees in Saudi Arabia are infested
other countries (Khalifa et al. 2004; Abbas 2010). with RPW and it continues to pose a danger to
Efforts to develop biological management of RPW, other surrounding plants (Al-Sheaby 2010).
for example, are only in their early stages (Abdul- There are strong indications that regional move-
lah 2009; Güerri-Agulló et al. 2010). Preliminary ment of infested plant material is one of the major
field trials suggest that an entomopathogenic fun- sources for the spread of this insect. To avoid fur-
gus, Beauveria bassiana, partially controls the ther spread, there is an urgent need for strong
RPW (Dembilio et al 2010a). Combination trials quarantine measures to restrict RPW movement,
of imidacloprid and entomopathogenic nematode even within different regions of each affected
Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser were initiated to country.
observe synergy of two different formulations in Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation
controlling RPW, but surprisingly, no synergy was (SABIC) recently convened an on-site visit to in-
observed (Dembilio et al, 2010b). fested orchards near Al-Hassa followed by a
Early detection of infestation is an important workshop in Riyadh (29-31 Mar 2010) where dif-
component of RPW management. Improved ferent methods for controlling RPW in Saudi Ara-
methods with high throughput capability for bia and elsewhere were discussed. In a meeting at
early detection of RPW are urgently needed. Sev- Rashid Farms, near Riyadh, the Minister for Ag-
eral detection methods, including visual inspec- riculture shared the Saudi Government perspec-
tions, acoustic sensors (Potamitis et al. 2009; tive on RPW management and other insects det-
Mankin et al. 2011), sniffer dogs (Nakash et al. rimental to date palm fruit yields. He reiterated
2000), and pheromone traps (Faleiro & Kumar the need for a unified strategy including farmer
2008) have been tested to assist quarantine ef- education relevant to insect infestation and man-
forts and identify infestations at early stages. agement in trees, development of methods for
However, each of these detection methods has suf- earlier detection, and strict quarantine proce-
fered logistic and implementation issues. dures applied across the globe. The Minister dis-
Pheromone traps have been tested for RPW cussed in detail experiences that the Saudi Ara-
control in conjunction with pesticides in Al-Hassa bian government has faced relevant to quaran-
and other important date-growing areas (Faleiro tine issues.
 Mukhtar et al: Red Palm Weevil Management in Saudi Arabia 735

After reviewing and discussing the different Besides date palm, several other species, in-
problems faced by orchard and urban landscape cluding coconut and royal palm, also are potential
managers and the methods available for RPW de- host for weevils (Abbas 2010). Lessons learned
tection and management, the workshop partici- from the research conducted in this initiative will
pants proposed that the following initiatives be pur- not only help date palm growing countries but
sued vigorously in future date palm pest research: provide benefits for management of pests in other
palm species (Abe et al. 2009).
• Devise and test new integrated pest man-
agement strategies including biological,
chemical, and biotechnological methods as ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
proof of concept of efficient RPW control in Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation provided
farm and urban palms. funding for the red palm weevil workshop.
• Compare currently available detection tech-
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