NOXIOUSNESS OF THREE DIFFERENT ESSENTIAL OILS AGAINST RED PALM WEEVIL UNDER CONTROLLED CONDITION

Asian palm weevil, also known as red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), has long been regarded as an annoying pest of many palm trees (Arecaceae), particularly date palm. Researchers are very concerned about finding an effective management strategy to control RPW due to its well-known detrimental effects on native date palm, and its economic development. Use of essential oils and botanical extracts is receiving a lot of attention among other control methods. Because they are environmentally safe. However, this study explained the feeding toxicity of three essential oils e.g., clove, black pepper, and eucalyptus seeds against 3rd instar larvae of RPW via feeding bioassay. Results showed that mortality (%) was maximum when treated with a higher dose of clove oil as compared to the other two essential oils. Meanwhile the LC50 value of clove oil was minimal which showed a higher toxicity. Our study concluded that clove oil is useful against the immature stages of R. ferrugineus. So, we suggest that it should be properly placed in IPM strategies against this pest. To enhance the efficacy of such bioactive compounds in laboratory, more work is necessary.