16 Dec Elaeidobius kamerunicus (Faust.), a pollinating weevil in Oil Palm
तेल पाम में परागण करने वाला एक घुन या कीट- भुजा एलाइडोबियस कामरुनिकस (फ़ॉस्ट) Oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq. is a monoecious plant which means it bears male and female inflorescences, separated from one another on the same vegetative axis. This particular situation demands cross pollination, as both the inflorescences of the same plant are seldom simultaneously receptive. Pollination in oil palm is primarily by various means viz., wind and insects. Several species of insects are reported as natural pollinating agents, of which Elaeidobius kamerunicus is the predominant species. Introduction of this weevil increased fruit set from 36.9 to 56.0% resulting in 40% increase in bunch weight. Knowing about various aspects of pollinating weevil, will assist oil palm growers to plan the plant protection strategies and conserve the pollinating weevils for better performance in pollination. Bunch failure and Insect pollination in oil palm Bunch failure refers to bunch that fails to develop from anthesis to harvest. This could be due to physiological reasons, bunch rot, poor pollination (lack of pollinators) etc. Figure 1. Oil palm with adequately pollinated fruit bunches Figure 2. Bunch showing very poor fruit set Anthesis of male flowers (refers to stage of pollen production) starts with the opening of florets at the base of the male inflorescence. The opening progresses gradually...