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Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology

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A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450). This special issue belongs to the section "Insect Pest and Vector Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 June 2024 | Viewed by 8671

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Camilo Ayra-Pardo

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Guest Editor

CIIMAR–Interdisciplinary Center of Marine and Environmental Research, Terminal de Cruzeiros do Porto de Leixões, University of Porto, Avda. General Norton de Matos s/n, 4450-208 Matosinhos, Portugal
Interests: invasive insect pests; pest control; insect pathogens; Bacillus thuringiensis; insecticidal RNAi

Prof. Dr. Denis J. Wright

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Guest Editor

Emeritus Professor of Pest Management, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK
Interests: insecticides; resistance; biocontrol; IPM; multi-trophic interactions

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Palm trees are one of the best known and widely planted trees. They are an important source of food owing to their high nutrition value and provide a source of income for populations in North Africa and South Asia. In addition, they are used for landscaping in coastal regions across the world. Palm tree is a preferred host plant for many insect pests. Some of these are destructive pests that cause severe economic damage and threaten biodiversity in the palm ecosystem. Climate change and international trade have brought other problems, such as the spread of invasive pests into new regions. In this context, the development of ecological pest management programs offers new opportunities for the long-term protection of palms without negative impacts on human health and the environment. In addition, recent advances in omics offer plentiful possibilities to improve control methods for the most recalcitrant pests. This Special Issue will focus on recent studies that address palm-associated insect fauna, with an emphasis on how they can contribute to better palm pest management. We will consider studies dealing with interspecific interactions, population biology, chemical ecology, economic entomology, microbial pesticides and biotechnology.

Dr. Camilo Ayra-Pardo
Prof. Dr. Denis J. Wright
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

symbiosis
biocontrol
interactions
palmivorous insects
invasive palm pests
red palm weevil
insect chemical ecology
microbial pesticides
environmental entomology
palm biotechnology

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 977 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Native Entomopathogenic Fungi Isolated from Rhynchophorus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1758) in Northeast Brazil

by Viviane Araujo Dalbon, Juan Pablo Molina Acevedo, Karlos Antônio Lisboa Ribeiro Junior, João Manoel da Silva, Mayra Machado de Medeiros Ferro, Aldomário Santo Negrisoli Júnior, Henrique Goulart Fonseca, Antônio Euzébio Goulart Santana and Francesco Porcelli

Insects 2024, 15(3), 159; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15030159 - 27 Feb 2024

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Abstract

Both palm weevils, the South American (Rhynchophorus palmarum) (SAPW) and the red palm weevil (R. ferrugineus, RPW), are present in South America, affecting commercial, ornamental, and native palms. These pests oviposit and thrive on selected Arecaceae. R. palmarum mainly infests coconut (Cocos nucifera), oil palms (Elaeis guineensis), and other ornamental and native palms in America, causing a significant social impact on growers. The weevils fulfill a significant ectosymbiotic macro- and microorganism role in the first period of larval development, worsening the damage which, during this period, is not yet apparent. Palm protection in the Brazilian context suggests the use of indigenous agents for microbiological biocontrol. This research identifies three Brazilian Beauveria bassiana isolates: CVAD01, CVAD02, and CVAD06. The results suggest that the strain’s impact on R. palmarum can also be compared with that of the commercial strain Beauveria bassiana. Phylogenetic analysis allowed the delimitation of species of Beauveria (Hypocreales). Pathogenicity tests caused significant mortality in R. palmarum. The isolates CVAD01, CVAD02, and CVADO6 showed high pathogenicity between 7 and 21 days, with mortality rates between 90 and 100%, suggesting that they may be effective biological control agents of R. palmarum in the field when used, within available means, to mitigate the impact of R. palmarum and R. ferrugineus in South America. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology)

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14 pages, 2948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced YOLOv5 Object Detection Algorithm for Accurate Detection of Adult Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

by Shuai Wu, Jianping Wang, Li Liu, Danyang Chen, Huimin Lu, Chao Xu, Rui Hao, Zhao Li and Qingxuan Wang

Insects 2023, 14(8), 698; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14080698 - 09 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1516

Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is an invasive and highly destructive pest that poses a serious threat to palm plants. To improve the efficiency of adult RPWs’ management, an enhanced YOLOv5 object detection algorithm based on an attention mechanism is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the detection capabilities for small targets are enhanced by adding a convolutional layer to the backbone network of YOLOv5 and forming a quadruple down-sampling layer by splicing and down-sampling the convolutional layers. Secondly, the Squeeze-and-Excitation (SE) attention mechanism and Convolutional Block Attention Module (CBAM) attention mechanism are inserted directly before the SPPF structure to improve the feature extraction capability of the model for targets. Then, 2600 images of RPWs in different scenes and forms are collected and organized for data support. These images are divided into a training set, validation set and test set following a ratio of 7:2:1. Finally, an experiment is conducted, demonstrating that the enhanced YOLOv5 algorithm achieves an average precision of 90.1% ([email protected]) and a precision of 93.8% (P), which is a significant improvement compared with related models. In conclusion, the enhanced model brings a higher detection accuracy and real-time performance to the RPW-controlled pest pre-detection system, which helps us to take timely preventive and control measures to avoid serious pest infestation. It also provides scalability for other pest pre-detection systems; with the corresponding dataset and training, the algorithm can be adapted to the detection tasks of other pests, which in turn brings a wider range of applications in the field of monitoring and control of agricultural pests. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology)

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13 pages, 14087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationship between Dubas Bug (Ommatissus lybicus) Infestation and the Development of Fungal-Induced Leaf Spots in Date Palms (Phoenix dactylifera)

by Salem S. Al-Nabhani, Rethinasamy Velazhahan, Shah Hussain, Suad Al-Raqmi, Maryam Al-Hashmi and Abdullah M. Al-Sadi

Insects 2023, 14(3), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14030283 - 14 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1793

Abstract

The dubas bug (Ommatissus lybicus) (Hemiptera: Tropiduchidae) is a serious pest in date palms in several date-producing countries, including Oman. Infestation results in a severe reduction in yield and a weakening of date palm growth. In addition, egg laying, which causes injuries to date palm leaves, results in the development of necrotic lesions on the leaves. This study aimed at investigating the role of fungi in the development of necrotic leaf spots following dubas bug infestation. Leaf samples developing leaf spot symptoms were collected from dubas-bug-infested leaves, as the leaf spot symptoms were not observed on the non-infested leaves. Isolation from date palm leaves collected from 52 different farms yielded 74 fungal isolates. Molecular identification of the isolates revealed that they belonged to 31 fungal species, 16 genera, and 10 families. Among the isolated fungi, there were five Alternaria species, four species each of Penicillium and Fusarium, three species each of Cladosporium and Phaeoacremonium, and two species each of Quambalaria and Trichoderma. Out of the thirty-one fungal species, nine were pathogenic on date palm leaves and induced varying levels of leaf spot symptoms. The pathogenic species were Alternaria destruens, Fusarium fujikuroi species complex, F. humuli, F. microconidium, Cladosporium pseudochalastosporoides, C. endophyticum, Quambalaria cyanescens, Phaeoacremonium krajdenii, and P. venezuelense, which were reported for the first time as leaf spot causal agents in date palms. The study provided novel information on the effect of dubas bug infestation in date palms on the development of fungal infection and associated leaf spot symptoms. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology)

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Review

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20 pages, 1220 KiB

Open AccessReview

Sustainable Pest Management in Date Palm Ecosystems: Unveiling the Ecological Dynamics of Red Palm Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Infestations

by Hassan Naveed, Vivian Andoh, Waqar Islam, Liang Chen and Keping Chen

Insects 2023, 14(11), 859; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110859 - 06 Nov 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1512

Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW) poses a significant threat to date palm ecosystems, highlighting the necessity of sustainable pest management strategies that carefully consider the delicate ecological balance within these environments. This comprehensive review delves into innovative approaches to sustainable pest management, specifically focusing on date palm, and seeks to unravel the intricate ecological dynamics underlying RPW infestations. We thoroughly analyze biocontrol methods, eco-friendly chemical interventions, and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, aiming to minimize the ecological impact while effectively addressing RPW infestations. By emphasizing the interplay of both living organisms (biotic) and environmental factors (abiotic) in shaping RPW dynamics, we advocate for a holistic and sustainable management approach that ensures the long-term resilience of date palm ecosystems. This review aims to contribute to an ecologically sound framework for pest management, promoting the sustainability and vitality of date palm ecosystems amidst the challenges posed by the RPW. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology)

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15 pages, 800 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on Digestive System of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus as Potential Target to Develop Control Strategies

by Ahmad-Faris Seman-Kamarulzaman, Faizatul Atikah Pariamiskal, Amiratul Nabihah Azidi and Maizom Hassan

Insects 2023, 14(6), 506; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14060506 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2041

Abstract

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, commonly known as red palm weevil (RPW), is a high-risk insect pest that has become a threat to many important palm species. There are several dominant factors that lead to the successful infestation of RPW, including its stealthy lifestyle, highly chitinized mouthpart, and high fecundity rate. Due to that, millions of dollars of losses have been suffered by many countries invaded by RPW. Several methods have been designed to control its invasion, including the usage of insecticides, but many cause resistance and environmental pollution. Therefore, an environmentally friendly insecticide that targets specific systems or pathways in RPW is urgently needed. One of the potential targets is the digestive system of RPW, as it is the major interface between the insect and its plant host. The related knowledge of RPW’s digestive system, such as the anatomy, microflora, transcriptomic analysis, and proteomic analysis, is important to understand its effects on RPW’s survival. Several data from different omics regarding the digestive systems of RPW have been published in separate reports. Some of the potential targets have been reported to be inhibited by certain potential insecticides, while other targets have not yet been tested with any inhibitors. Hence, this review may lead to a better understanding on managing infestations of RPW using the system biology approach for its digestive system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Palm Ecosystems: Tackling Insect Challenges through Ecology and Conservation Biology, Pest Control and Biotechnology)

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