FAO collaborates with King Faisal University (KFU) to optimize the effective control of the Red Palm Weevil

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with King Faisal University (KFU), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, conducted a study on the optimization of management tools for effective control of Red Palm Weevil (RPW) and the development of innovative technology to control RPW apical infestation.

The study observed the improvement of the fumigation technique currently adopted against the RPW in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the development of a quarantine protocol for fumigating date palm offshoots using phosphine gas and the evaluation of RPW insecticides and injection, in addition to examining techniques for controlling RPW apical infestations.

During the study, a series of laboratory, semi-field, and field experiments were conducted on two aspects of the project: developing a quarantine protocol for date palm seedlings and evaluating injection techniques to control RPW palm tree trunk infestations.

Researchers found that the development of a quarantine protocol by sterilizing palm offshoots by dipping them in pesticide solution was effective and led to the death of 100% of the larvae, pupae, and adults of the RPW. Moreover, the efficacy of “Emmamectin benzoate” insecticide at a concentration of 4% against the RPW was evaluated by microinjection on large palms. The recommended dose of 50 ml led to the death of 100% of the RPW larvae, while the tissue extracted from the palm one month after the treatment caused approximately 92% mortality of the larvae that were fed on these tissues under laboratory conditions.

In 2022, FAO signed a letter of agreement with KFU in KSA "in order to promote scientific research and innovation for long-term solutions and sustainable control of the RPW", within the framework of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations programme to eradicate RPW from the Near East and North Africa region.