The weevil feeds and lives for most of its life cycle within the tree and the first symptoms in the form of bites on the palms new , appear months after the start of the attack. when the infestation is more widespread , the insects destroy the only point where grows the palm , leaving only dead leaves. then, inside the trunk is a network of tunnels where it develops a number of agencies that take advantage of the wounds of the palm and the trunk is just rotting. the plant is a source of infestation for the environment even after death, why it’s so important to detect the pest on time and to start treatment or , in hopeless cases, programming with the competent local government the felling and removal of the specimen.
This is a pest of Asian origin and is expanding worldwide . everything indicates that came to Spain from Egypt. the first signal was documented in 1995 in Andalusia , particularly in Motril and Salobreña, and we are currently in the second infestation that has hit the Mediterranean coast , the Islands Balearic and Canary .
Until 2008 , in Valencia and Catalonia were felled 25,000 palm trees . the rapid spread of the pest in the Region is favored for various reasons as the characteristics of the pest, the lack of information , the terrain and population profile . foreign residents , coupled with the proliferation of second homes occupied only during certain months of the year , makes surveillance municipal and communication of preventive measures and control of the pest to homeowners.
Following the Order of December 22, 2009 of the Ministry of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food (CAPA ) , local government take on a role as they are assigned a number of requirements and recommendations, and monitor the presence of the pest in the existing copies in the municipality and to adopt a Plan of Surveillance, Prevention and Control. the Department , meanwhile, sent material plant , brochures and funds the removal of individuals affected , both public and private. however, it has become clear that this struggle is necessary the collaboration of all social sectors , public administration , and research centers .
The Marina Alta is one of the areas affected and, as unity is strength, the council environmental and parks and gardens have formed a working group to share information and undertake joint action. One of the most recent initiatives has been holding a technical workshop on methods for the detection and treatment of the weevil. Organized by the city of Denia and the Network of Universities for promoting R + D + i ( RUVID ) , university researchers Valencian presented their latest developments in these areas.
The first step : Early detection
First we presented a novel system acoustic detection of the activity red palm weevil developed by the Institute ITACA (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia) , the group GATCOM (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche) and spin -off Wireless Sensor Networks Valencia ( WSNVAL ). we also have the collaboration of the of Entomology Agroforestry Institute Agroforestry Mediterranean.
Jose J. Herrero Belda, Institute investigator ITACA and manager of the company WSNVAL , said the research was funded by several grants from the Generalitat in the framework of the Programme Deed and is based on three systems. the first is a team monotorización continuous uses a series of autonomous sensors placed in palm trees and communicate with each other through a wireless network. the second device is a inspection device portable easy that diagnoses after some minutes of testing the presence or absence of weevil red a palm . Finally , scientists have designed a third team -oriented research , which captures the sounds of insects and stored for later facilitate their study .
According to Manuel Perez Malumbres , professor UMH and member of the research group GATCOM chose a reference sound , especially a crunch or cracking that occurs when a larva bites fiber palm . ” the developed systems capture the sound and digitize to analyze . the analysis is performed in time real , are discriminated against background noise , filtered bites and the software compares through mathematical algorithms with the reference sound . Finally, the system indicates that a high coincidence with the sound that we have characterized and , therefore, whether or not weevil a particular palm , “said the professor.
In laboratory tests the results are encouraging results have been obtained detection 90% with no false positives . the evaluation by technical the Department of Agriculture , Fisheries and Food was also successful. According to its promoters , the next step is to conduct more field tests and continue studies to determine the behavior overall sound of insect : what time is fed , with what frequency and intensity , as well as characterization of other distinct sounds at different stages of growth. with all these data, we can refine the prototypes and the participating company will start marketing.
The second step : treatment
It was initially implemented measures to control epidemics and the systematic destruction of individuals concerned to stop the spread of outbreaks of the plague. Currently using these measures and test new to address effective management of the pest. the case of new method control biological developed by Luis Vicente Lopez -Llorca with Berenice Guerri Agulló, both researchers at the Laboratory of Plant Pathology , University of Alicante and business associates spin -off Glen Biotech SL.
Scientists began five years ago to select a agent control natural was adequate to stop the weevil , with the idea of raising a killer natural . Studied individuals naturally infected and began a series of laboratory tests to determine the fungal strains more lethal for the insect. then they worked to increase the efficacy of biological control . with the cooperation of the Company Viveros Huerto de Elche SL and Dr. Pablo Barranco de la Universidad de Almería , the tests were moved to greenhouses where they got into palm tree small a mortality of 90 % of the weevil in 14 days and 100 % in 30 days. the experiments were conducted throughout the year for 2 consecutive years and, thanks to public funding from the Ministry of Education and Science and the Generalitat , the researchers have designed an experimental product that is currently tested in the field. these tests are performed on hundreds of palm trees in the Region, including the towns of Elche , Elche , Torrent and Benicàssim and in the Region of Murcia , Cartagena, with the help of the local council. Through the company Glen Biotech SL, hoping to market the product soon.
Professor Lopez -Llorca detailed product performance : ” when applied to the top of the palm , millions of fungal spores are deposited weevil and germinate penetrating your hard cuticle and finally causing death. the spores while are dispersed the middle, helped in part by the mobility of the insect. Thus, although the product is applied externally , penetrates into the galleries that is weevil by feeding affected adults, larvae , pupae and eggs. ”
In field trials were applied three treatments quarterly . After treatment there has been the recovery of those palm trees less infested and wound healing. But perhaps most important considering the extent of the pest, which has been shown that weevils red infected product move to palm untreated and die in them, so that the insect itself acts as a vector agent control . Ultimately, these insects have finished spreading the infection to others weevil present in the palm untreated .
“we believe least our product slow the rate epidemic of the plague and in the case of those individuals affected little will be achieved to reverse the process and save the palm tree , “said the professor. the treatment is not harmful to humans or the environment and is compatible with insecticides authorized by the Department . it is also capable of slowing the growth of pathogenic fungi palm trees that , such as rot pink may also cause death. due to the high persistence of the fungus in the tree and their survival without the insect could therefore be used as preventive treatment.
andalusia, life cycle, motril, tunnels
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