Sustainable Pest Management in Date Palm: Current Status and Emerging Challenges
- 449 pages
- 16 hours of reading
Date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., is a crucial palm species cultivated in arid regions since prehistoric times, deeply intertwined with the culture of the Middle East and North Africa, the primary growing areas. The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates over 100 million date palms produce more than 7.5 million tonnes annually. Recent studies identify 112 insect and mite species associated with date palms, including 22 that affect stored dates. The intensified monoculture of date palms, climate change, excessive chemical insecticide use, and extensive international trade threaten the pest dynamics and natural enemies in date agro-ecosystems. Recognizing the date palm's significance as a future crop, this book addresses the biology and sustainable management of key insect and mite pests. It evaluates current integrated pest management (IPM) strategies while highlighting emerging challenges and future research needs. Topics include the role of semiochemicals in IPM, innovative “attract and kill” and “push-pull” strategies, phytoplasmas and their vectors, methods for managing storage pests, and addressing knowledge gaps in sustainable strategies for controlling the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier).
