Potentials for early detection of red palm weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)-infested date palm (Arecaceae) using temperature differentials

Abstract This study investigated thermal aspect potentials of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera (Linnaeus) (Arecaceae)) infested by red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)) in early detection. Palms were forced infested, i.e., fertile females and males were introduced inside the palms to initiate infestation. Effects of three infestation intensities on date palm were examined throughout a 24-day period. Temperature gradients inside infested and healthy palms of the commercial cultivar (Khalas) were determined using data loggers. Adult weevils and loggers were introduced inside holes drilled in palm trunks for measuring temperatures at 15-minute intervals during 24 consecutive days. These 24 days after infestation is the larval stage where most of the damage occurs and the infested palms can still be rescued through remedial control measures. A repeated measures analysis showed that the temperature of infested palms during the two seasons of the study were 33.22 °C and 30.08 °C, while for the healthy palms were 31.83 °C and 27.56 °C. Differences were significant during the first (F=6.14, df=3, P=0.009) and the second (F=3.89, df=3, P=0.038) season. The corresponding ambient atmosphere temperatures were 31.83 °C and 28.03 °C, respectively. This study provides valuable baseline information for developing a real-time sensor fusion system for a nondestructive early detection of insect infestation.

[1]  V. Soroker,et al.  Current status of red palm weevil infestation in date palm plantations in Israel , 2005, Phytoparasitica.

[2]  R. W. Mankin,et al.  Quantitative Acoustical Detection of Larvae Feeding Inside Kernels of Grain , 1993 .

[3]  Susumu Kawamoto,et al.  Isolation of yeasts from palm tissues damaged by the red palm weevil and their possible effect on the weevil overwintering , 2010, Mycoscience.

[4]  J. R. Faleiro,et al.  Bait-Free Attract and Kill Technology (Hook™ RPW) to Suppress Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Date Palm* , 2011 .

[5]  J. R. Faleiro,et al.  A Technique to assess the Longevity of the Pheromone (Ferrolure) used in Trapping the Date Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorous ferrugineus Oliv. , 1999 .

[6]  J. R. Faleiro.  A review of the issues and management of the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Rhynchophoridae) in coconut and date palm during the last one hundred years , 2006 .

[7]  A. Peterson,et al.  Predicting the Potential Worldwide Distribution of the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) using Ecological Niche Modeling , 2012 .

[8]  H. El-Shafie,et al.  Influence of farming practices on infestation by red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) in date palm: a case study. , 2012 .

[9]  R. L. Lemaster,et al.  Detection of termites with acoustic emission , 1997 .

[10]  C. Olson,et al.  Insects on Palms , 2003 .

[11]  J. R. Faleiro,et al.  An Integrated Management Approach for Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus Oliv. a Key Pest of Date Palm in the Middle East , 1998 .

[12]  R. Mankin,et al.  Acoustic Detection of Termite Infestations in Urban Trees , 2002, Journal of economic entomology.

[13]  J. Jacas,et al.  Basic bio-ecological parameters of the invasive Red Palm Weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), in Phoenix canariensis under Mediterranean climate , 2010, Bulletin of Entomological Research.

[14]  R. A. Abozuhairah,et al.  Impact of mass pheromone trapping on red palm weevil: adult population and infestation level in date palm gardens of Saudi Arabia. , 2000 .

[15]  E. Geoffriau,et al.  Inter Simple Sequence Repeat Fingerprints for Assess Genetic Diversity of Tunisian Garlic Populations , 2011 .

[16]  A. Afra,et al.  BAIT-FREE ATTRACT AND KILL TECHNOLOGY (HOOK™ RPW) TO SUPPRESS RED PALM WEEVIL, RHYNCHOPHORUS FERRUGINEUS (COLEOPTERA: CURCULIONIDAE) IN DATE PALM* , 2011 .

[17]  R. L. Crocker,et al.  Eavesdropping on Insects Hidden in Soil and Interior Structures of Plants , 2000, Journal of economic entomology.

[18]  J. Jacas,et al.  Evaluation of the efficacy of Steinernema carpocapsae in a chitosan formulation against the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, in Phoenix canariensis , 2009, BioControl.

[19]  J. Jacas,et al.  Evaluation of an oil dispersion formulation of imidacloprid as a drench against Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in young palm trees. , 2012, Pest management science.

[20]  S. T. Murphy,et al.  The red palm weevil as an alien invasive: biology and the prospects for biological control as a component of IPM , 1999 .

[21]  Enrique Moltó,et al.  Development of a bioacoustic sensor for the early detection of Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) , 2010 .

[22]  R. G. Abad,et al.  Borers of palms. , 2001 .

[23]  Automated Monitoring Using Acoustical Sensors for Insects in Farm-Stored Wheat , 1996 .

[24]  A. Mizrach,et al.  Temporal and Spectral features of Sounds of wood-boring Beetle Larvae: Identifiable patterns of Activity enable improved discrimination from background noise , 2008 .

[25]  Ibrahim Greiby,et al.  Overview of Date Fruit Production, Postharvest handling, Processing, and Nutrition , 2013 .

[26]  Saleh Mufleh Al-Saqer,et al.  A Reliable Identification System for Red Palm Weevil , 2012 .

[27]  A. Kader,et al.  Dates: postharvest science, processing technology and health benefits. , 2013 .

[28]  Yafit Cohen,et al.  Early detection and monitoring of red palm weevil: approaches and challenges. , 2013 .