Arthropod pests of date palm and their management.

Abstract

This review lists 132 species of insect and mite pests associated with date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) grown worldwide. These species are distributed among eight insect orders and 30 families, besides one order of mite comprising nine families. Most of the species (52) were reported on the leaf (frond), while 26 species were associated with the roots and trunk. Green fruits with their stalks and stored dates hosted 27 species each. Coleoptera represented 41% of the listed pest species, followed by Hemiptera (20%), Acari (16%) and Lepidoptera (12%). Although the number of date palm pest species seems to be high, only a few species are considered major pests of economic importance. The major pests include the red palm weevil, (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), old world date mite (Oligonychus afrasiaticus), lesser date moth (Batrachedra amydraula), Dubas date bug (Ommatissus lybicus), green pit scale (Palmaspis phoenicis), carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae), date palm longhorn beetle (Jebusaea hammerschmidti), and almond moth (Cadra cautella). The review also lists 90 species of predators and parasitoids representing nine orders and 23 families, indicating their potential role in date palm pest management. The paper summarizes the current knowledge on management tactics including monitoring, agrotechnical measures, biological control, semiochemical-based control and chemical control. The implementation of integrated pest management strategies against major pests, based on the above-mentioned tactics, is discussed. The information gathered in this review indicates that strict quarantine, semiochemicals including pheromones and training and education of farmers are expected to play a central role in area-wide IPM of major date palm pests.

Insect Pest Management in Organic Farming System

“…Organic dates are now produced in many countries around the world including Tunisia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, Algeria, and the USA. Date palm, whether grown conventionally or organically, has numerous pests and diseases including 132 species of arthropod (insects and mites), 52 vertebrate pests (birds, rodents, bats), and 28 non-arthropod pests (slugs and snails, parasitic nematode) [26,27]. Additionally, more than 16 important fungal, phytoplasma, and unidentified diseases attack the date palm.…”

“…The date palm agroecosystem comprises diverse groups of natural enemies including insect predators, parasitoids, spiders, predatory mites, birds, entomopathogenic nematodes, and microorganisms. In this respect, El-Shafie et al [26] listed 90 species of predators and parasitoids from 9 orders and 23 families. Out of the listed species, the most important are the general predator Chrysoperla carnea and the braconid wasp Bracon spp.…”

The Efficiency of The Parasitoid, Trichogramma sp. Against Some Date Pests

“…To control these pests, several methods have been investigated, i.e., insecticides, mechanical control, biocide, and natural products (Bekheet and El-Sharabasy, 2015;Gameel, 2017;and Latifian, 2017). The intensive use of traditional chemical insecticides has many serious problems, such as high economic cost, negative impact on the environment and human health, and some pests develop resistance towards them (El-Shafie et al, 2017 andAbdel-Samad et al, 2019). Therefore, chemical pesticides should not be relied upon as short-term solutions against date palm pests to avoid the risk of residues in fruits and to maintain the balance of the ecosystem Aldosari, 2007 andAbdel-Samad et al, 2019).…”

Toxicity of some Acaricides Against Oligonychus afrasiaticus (McGregor) (Acari: Tetranychidae) under Laboratory Conditions in The New Valley, Egypt

“…The climate change and the large scale movement of palm species for farming and ornamental gardening, may help in an increasing of the invasive species events compounding the problems of crop protection. El-Shafie et al, (2017) reported 132 species of insect and mite pests associated with date palm grown worldwide. These species are distributed among eight insect orders and 30 families, besides a single order of mites pertaining to nine families.…”