Rhinoceros beetle in oil palm

RHINOCEROS BEETLE Oryctes rhinoceros is a serious pest of oil palm and coconut. The adult burrows between leaf sheaths near the crown and thus cuts across the leaf in its folded conditions. Central spindle appears cut or toppled. Fully opened fronds show diamond shaped cuttings. It kills the palms. Cluster or chewed materials close to frond basis, fan-shaped cutting on newly opened fronds and snapping of newly opened fronds and snapping of newly opened fronds are characteristic symptoms of attack.

Adult beetles are stout and reddish-black. Males have a horn projecting dorsally from the head and, in females the horn is short. It breeds on decaying organic materials, refuse, stumps, tree logs, sawdust heaps, palm logs and trunk chips. The `c' shaped grubs feed on these matter and life cycle from egg to adult in oil palm takes about 7-8 months.

The pest can be managed by the following methods:

- Destroy breeding sites, collect various bio-stages of the beetle from the manure pits and kill them.

- Avoid use of partially rotten farm yard manure.

- Metarhizium Anisopliae, an entomophthogenic fungi mixed in the compost checks the grub.

- Trap the adults with castor cake. Soak castor cake at 1 kg in 5 litres of water in small mud pots and keep them in the oil palm garden to attract and kill the adults. Change the slurry once in a month.

- Trap the adults using:

- Slow release formulation of some RB pheromane which is specific for trapping rhinoceros beetles.

- Kill the adults using metal hook.

- Manure pits can be drenched with one per cent carboryl once in three months.

Javaregowda

Krishi Vigyan Kendra

Hanumanamatti 581 135

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