Integrated management for palm borers

An integrated management program was conducted to control the palm borers, Oryctes sp. in date palm orchards of central Iraq during the years 2015-2020. The following control factors were used: cultural practices, such as sanitation and pruning frond bases, hand collection of larvae during regular annual service work, solar light traps with lamp of 320-420 nm wavelength and bio-control agents (entomopathogenic fungi). Results indicated that the population density of Oryctes spp. reduced in percentage to 91.6 and 53.0% for larvae and adults, respectively. The yield increased in percentage to 28 and 32% after one and two year of following the program. The results depicted the effectiveness of some integrated ecologically sound control methods for monitoring and population suppression of Oryctes spp. on date palm orchard environment.