Volume 8, Issue 4, August Issue - 2020, Pages:418-425 |
Authors: Adel M. Ghanem, Khalid N. Alrwis, Othman S. Alnashwan, Sahar A. Kamara, SharafAldin B. Ahamed, Nageeb M. Aldawdahi |
Abstract: The current study was carried out to estimate the economic losses caused by red palm weevils in Riyadh, KSA. A well-planned questionnaire and personal interviews from 200 date palm farmers carried out for primary data collection. Bernoulli or binomial distribution methodology and standard errors at 95% confidence level used for estimating the value of removed palm trees. Results of the study revealed that the average incidence of red palm weevils in the sampled farms was 42.5 percent. Due to heavy infestation, 20 to 167 palm trees were removed from the various studied farms, this ranged, 3.94 percent of the total and 9.28 percent of the total infested palm trees. Due to the rapid spread of red palm weevils and removal of severely infested palms, date palm production reduced between 20.0 to 35.1 percent at a confidence level of 95% in the sampled farms. In case of Riyadh region, this decline in date production ranged between 20.57 and 32.83. Further, the value of removed date palms ranged between 85.65 to 715.15 thousand riyals in 2017. Across Saudi Arabia, this value was about 43.23 million riyals in 2016 and 2017. The result of the current study recommends the necessity of adopting the principle of integrated management of the control program of red palm weevil in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. |
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Full Text: 1 Introduction Dates are the most important fruit crops in the agricultural economy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The number of palm tree farms reached about 123.3 thousand trees in 2017, spread over an area of ??108.13 thousand hectares and representing 74.2% of areas with ??fruit and about 10.7% of the total crop area of ??1011.4 thousand hectares (Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, 2017). The date production reached 754.76 thousand tons, with a value of 4.3 billion dollars which represents 53.55% of the total value of plant production in 2017 (Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, 2017). In 2017, the volume of Saudi date exports amounted to 147.42 thousand tons and was valued at 703 million riyals, accounting for 36.3% of the total value of 1939 million riyals in Saudi agricultural exports (General Authority for Statistics, 2017). Dates are an integrated diet containing a high proportion of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins. Dates also used for manufacturing sucrose and molasses, other dates, which are not suitable for human consumption, entered into the feed industry (Berbandi, 2007). Further, palm trees wood used as firewood for winter heating, carpentry and construction, decorative purposes, and in the manufacture of cardboard and paper (Berbandi, 2007). Palm leaves also used in the manufacture of chairs and roofing houses, and ropes (Berbandi, 2007). The red palm weevil is considered one of the most damaging pests which affecting palm trees under the age of 15year, trees with soft trunks are more susceptible to this insect attack. Palm weevils first appeared in the Qatif province in 1987 and then spread to the rest part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The number of infested palm trees was 14.91 thousand; among these about 9.58 thousand palm trees were treated and 5.33 thousand palm trees removed in 2016. In 2017, this number of the infected tree was 13.59 thousand; of them, 8.83 thousand palm trees were treated and 4.77 thousand palm trees were removed. The danger of palm weevils is difficult to detect in the early stages of infestation, but this could be diagnosed through some symptoms such as pigmented brownish and malodorous trees, wilted and yellowing leaves (Baqi & Farouk, 2015). The incomplete removal of infested palms in the Al-Muzahmiya governorate led to a delay in the elimination of the infestation, which stopped after 3.6 years despite the operation of pheromone traps and preventive spraying (Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture, 2017). Further, Ibrahim (2011) described the red palm weevil as the hidden enemy, where the infestation is closely associated with the injury of the palm stalk digger, which creates the appropriate places for egg-laying. The infection of this insect causes the palm tree emptied of its hardness, and made vegetable sap dries up. The insect damages the offshoots and palm trees died during 1-2 years. The insect passes through several stages, starting with laying eggs, which hatch after 3-6 days and turn into larvae. The larvae develop between 1-3 months and then turn into the complete insect, ranging in length from 3.5 to 4 cm and all stages of this insect live within the infested palm trunk (Ibrahim, 2011). Al-Zafran & Lugma (2000) carried out a study and suggested that removing infected palm trees, running pheromone traps and preventive spraying of pesticides reduced this insect infection in one year in the Baha region and three years in the Medina region. These researchers suggested that effective measure of red palm weevil control are (i) behavioral control by toxic traps, pheromone and photonics traps, (ii) mechanical control by removing the infested trees, pruning and removing weeds and grasses, (iii) chemical control by the use of pesticides, (iv) biological control by multiplying the biological enemies of the insect and (v) legislative control by the issuance of laws and legislation to prevent the entry and spread of insects. The study of the Al-Asfour (2012) dealt with the environmental and vital aspects of red palm weevil in the State of Bahrain. This study showed that the highest activity of the insect was from January to March, and the lowest activity in September, there is a significant negative correlation between the temperature and the activity of the weevil. The average infestation rate was 2%. This study recommended the need of pruning the date palms during the periods of low phase activity of saplings, spraying of pesticides in high activity periods (Sayed & Ali 1995). These researchers also favor the adoption of integrated insect control strategy and utilization of GIS to improve the performance of control. Further, Abbass & Gadalla (2015) discussed the effect of some agricultural practices on the level of red palm weevil infestation in Egypt. This study showed that palm-containing air roots are more susceptible to red palm weevils than non-air roots. Besides, the rate of red palm weevil infestation increased among palms, which are constantly in moisture condition, as well as among palms containing aerosols, as compared to the palms with removed air aerosols and subsequently treated with sulfur. Finally, FAO (2017) prepared a report on the framework strategy for the eradication of palm weevils. It can be implemented through the drafting of a charter for cooperation and coordination of national, regional, and global efforts to support the integrated and sustainable management program for controlling the red palm weevil, reducing its harmful effects on the environment and food security, and mitigating its social and economic impact on rural communities. Preliminary estimation indicated that date farmers in the KSA suffered losses of 15 million dollars in 2015. Due to the severity of the infestation, the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture focused on the red palm weevil, and approximately 37.67 million palm trees were examined in 2017. The Ministry of the Interior also intervened and issued a circular to confiscate any offshoots being transferred without a metal wire stamped with the seal of the Ministry of Environment, Water, and Agriculture and a certificate confirming that they were free of the pest. However, there is no doubt that the spread of the date palm weevil infestation leads to a decline in date production and losses in capital assets (palm trees). This study aimed to study the negative effects of the red palm weevils spread and to find out effective ways to control it in the Riyadh area. Moreover, the study also focused on, determining the current status of red palm weevils and the reasons for their spread in Riyadh, estimation of the economic losses caused by this pest, and propose effective means of integrated management of palm weevil control in the Riyadh. 2 Materials and Methods This study adopted the Bernoulli distribution, also known as the binomial distribution of econometric analyses (Gujarati, 1979; William, 2003), and standard errors at the 95% confidence in the determination of the percentage or probability of the existence of red palm weevils in the Riyadh region. When estimating the proportion or probability of palm weevils, the estimate accompanied by standard errors used when estimating Confidence intervals as follows: Standard error of probability at 95% confidence level 95% confidence interval for probability = ![]() |
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