Some Aspects of the Ecology of Elaeidobius Kamerunicus Faust, The Pollinating Weevil of Oil Palm, With Emphasis on Developing Sampling Techniques
Some aspects of the ecology of the pollinating weevil of oil palm, Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust - an exotic insect to Malaysia imported from Cameroon, West Africa, three years ago - were studied in 1983 and 1984. In particular, sampling techniques for estimating the weevil population were devel...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
1984
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/10210/1/FP_1984_1.pdf |
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| Summary: | Some aspects of the ecology of the pollinating weevil of oil
palm, Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust - an exotic insect to Malaysia
imported from Cameroon, West Africa, three years ago - were studied
in 1983 and 1984. In particular, sampling techniques for estimating
the weevil population were developed and the effect of rat predation
on the immature weevils was studied. In the course of these studies,
certain aspects of the weevil's behaviour and activity were
investigated.
Field studies concerning the ecology of the weevil requires
a satisfactory method for estimating the weevil population. Three
sampling methods were compared: petridish traps set on receptive
female inflorescences, sticky traps incorporating anthesising male
flowers as bait, and sampling the weevil-covered spikelets of the
anthesising male inflorescence. The last method was found to be
superior it was more reliable and the data could be converted to
an absolute estimate. To be reliable, the method must consider the
time of sampling, stage of anthesis of the male inflorescence, and
position of spikelet on the male inflorescence. Taking samples after 5 pm, separating the anthesising male inflorescences into three
stages, and stratified sampling from six sections of the male
inflorescence were found to be optimal for a reliable estimation. |
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