Oil palm plantations, a complex and fragile entomological ecosystem
1998
Mariau, D.
Over the last forty years, the oil palm Elaeis guineensis, which originated in Africa, has undergone spectacular development in Africa, South America, and especially in the Indo-Malaysian peninsula. Outside Africa, a substantial variety of insects have adapted to their new host and the number of species feeding on oil palm, primarily its fronds but also other organs of the plant, are inventoried in their hundreds. It is outside its zone of origin that E. guineensis is host to the largest number of species, which are associated with a very large number of parasitoids and predators. Along with their hosts, they form a highly complex environment which is fragile and somewhat unstable. The fauna associated with the pests plays an essential role in maintaining pest populations at a stable level. Everything must be done to spare them and encourage their development as soon as a plantation is set up, firstly by avoiding monocultures over large areas, then as the pests become established on the crops, enabling parasitoids and predators to find better conditions for their multiplication by favouring the development of plants that produce sweet substances on which the adults feed. In that way, chemical pesticide use can be reduced and an IPM policy can be introduced
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