RED PALM WEEVIL at TERENGGANU

Agriculture Departments here have been directed to inspect all date palm and to destroy trees determined to be infested with red weevil beetles. This move is crucial, because red weevil beetles find a convenient host in date palm, and they are now attacking coconut trees," said Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek. For the blog writer that attended the ceremony at Kg Abang, Dungun, Terengganu, also visite many coconut area severely damaged by RPW recently. The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is currently the most severe pest of major cultivated palms, including coconut palms. RPW infestation was first detected in 2007 by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) in all seven Terengganu districts. An intensive three month-survey in 2011 throughout Terengganu in over 800 ha of coconut plantations, villages, parks and in Federal Land Development (FELDA) plantations in all districts indicated that RPW attacked as many as 550,000 coconut trees, showing a drastic increase and rapid spread of RPW population. The symptoms and damages of each attacked part (shoot, cabbage, petiole and trunk) of infested coconut palms where different growth stages of the insects lived is discussed in this paper. However, symptoms of attack at an early stage of infestation were difficult to detect as the RPW is a concealed tissue borer. The severely infested coconut palms showed signs of wilting, drooping of dried leaves like an umbrella-shaped or skirting-shaped leaves. By the time the presence of the weevil is realized, it is already too late to save the palm. A total number of 1,208 RPW which consists of 12 eggs (1.0%), 392 larvae (32.5%), 677 pupae (56.0%) and 127 adults (10.5%) were collected from this study.

Higher numbers of RPW were found in petioles (770 individuals), followed by cabbages (194 individuals), trunks (142 individuals) and the least was shoots (102 individuals). Various stages of RPW (egg, larvae, pupae, adult) co-existed in the same infested coconut palm, until the total death of the palm, where the adults move to another host plant. The larvae were found starting from the top of the palm, moving inside the palm making tunnels and large cavities, even at the base of the trunk. This is the first report on the onslaught of R. ferrugineus on coconut palms in this country. This invasive weevil will be a threat to the coconut industry and, could threaten the survival of oil palm plantations, which represents the backbone of Malaysia’s commodities market. An early action is needed to prevent further spread of the pest in other states of the region and to protect the coconut industry in Malaysia. There are more articles on RPW ata "Anim Agro Technology" from my blogs at animhosnan.blogspot.com for further information. Thanks.

By,
M Anem,
Senior Agronomist,
Coconut Farms, Kg Abang,
Dungun, Terengganu,
Malaysia.
(4 March 1438H)