Field evaluation of attract and kill technology (Hook RPW™) to control red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in coconut plantations of Goa, India

Le résumé fourni par la source

Coconut ( Cocos nucifera) is an important crop in peninsular India, where the red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is a key pest. Mass trapping of adult weevils using food baited pheromone traps (FBPTs) is widely used in RPW-IPM programmes. RPW originated in South Asia where it is a major pest of coconut, Cocus nucifera . Frequent servicing (change of food bait and insecticide solution) of RPW- FBPTs becomes cumbersome and costly, especially at a higher trap density. We field tested trap and bait free attract and kill (A&K) technology by using Hook-RPW™ in RPW infested coconut plantations of Goa, India. Two FBPTs were located at 100 m distance on either side in the experimental plot with 50 coconut palms to record the weekly weevil captures. Pre and post-treatment weevil captures were recorded at weekly intervals for 17 weeks each. Further, in the post-treatment phase 50% palms were directly treated with two- 3 g dollops/palm of Hook-RPW™, while for the remaining palms, two dollops were placed individually at the bottom of 4-window 5 L buckets (containers) to record proof of RPW adults being attracted and killed. A Significant ( p = 0.05) T-statistic value was registered for weevil captures in FBPTs before and after treatment. Post-treatment results are significant, as a 50% mean reduction in FBPTs was observed in weevil captures. Proof of kill studies indicated that the A&K dollops were effective for the entire 17 weeks after deploying Hook-RPW™ in the field. In plantations where weevil activity is high and conventional traps have to be deployed at a density of > 1 trap/ha, the A&K technique against RPW can eliminate adult RPW population in the field cost-effectively and efficiently. This approach is environmentally friendly, as the insecticide is applied to a small, localized area, explicitly targeting the pest with minimal risk to non-target organisms. The Hook RPW™ technology shows promise as part of a broader IPM strategy for managing RPW infestations in coconut plantations, with minimal risk of damage to healthy trees.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.