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Sci Tech
Useful tips to check red palm weevil in coconut
Red palm weevil is the most destructive pest of coconut. The adult weevil is reddish brown in colour with a life span of 70-130 days.
The female weevil lays its eggs in soft tissues of young palms and in the wounds present on the stem or leaf stalk. The larval period ranges from 36-78 days.
Stem infestation
The wounds in the stem region attract the weevil for egg laying. The grubs on hatching enter through the wounds and damage the trunk by tunnelling inside.
Brownish black viscous fluid oozes out from the damage spot on the trunk.
Stem infestation causes death of the trees at advanced stage of infestation if not treated properly.
The common symptoms of weevil infestation are yellowing and wilting of leaves in the inner and middle whorl, presence of small circular holes on the stem with a brownish black viscous fluid oozing out, presence of chewed up fibres in leaf axils or at the base of palms, emission of odour from the damaged portion of the crown, toppling of the crown and death of trees.
Proper identification of weevil infestation in a tree is important.
Management
— Remove the fallen and dead trees from the garden.
— Do the interculture operation in coconut garden without causing wounds or injuries to the tree trunk.
— Swab the tree trunk with lime or tar to cover the open wounds and injuries to prevent the weevils from egg laying.
— Avoid premature removal of leaves from young trees. Properly manage rhinoceros beetle by placing naphthalene balls in perforated sachet or Thimet granule (2gm) in perforated sachet or neem seed powder + sand mixture in the crown and 2-3 leaf axils to the crown.
— Trees showing the symptoms of weevil infestation should be given root feeding of insecticide. Select healthy, pale red, pencil thickness roots for root feeding.
PROF. D. S. SRIDHARAN
Professor of Agricultural Entomolgy, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, TNAU, Coimbatore
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