Status of rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes rhinoceros (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) as a pest of young oil palm in Malaysia
1997
Norman Kamarudin | Mohd Basri Wahid (Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia))
A survey on rhinoceros beetle was conducted in 1995 to investigate the extent and seriousness of this insect as a pest of young oil palm in Malasyia. A total of 113 estates reported attack by rhinoceros beetle in their oil palm replants which accounted for about 25 percent of the young oil palm area in Malaysia. Current environmental rules have encouraged plantations to adopt the zero-burning technique. Zero-burning replantings attract the pest to breed and establish its population. On the other hand, underplanting is a less preferred method of replanting because it is more attractive to the rhinocerors beetle. Decaying organic matter e.g. empty fruit bunches, rotting coconut, rubber and jungle stumps, compost heaps and sawdust are all capable of creating breeding sites for the pest. After attack by rhinoceros beetle, yield reduction for the first few years of bearing has to be expected. Although carbofuran remains the most cost effective chemical to date, current research on the use of biocontrol agents (i.e. fungal and viral pathogens) is targeted towards the use of chemicals to control the pest
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