WHAT RESEARCH INTO COMBATING OIL PALM AND COCONUT PESTS

Diseases and pests ore among the adverse factors that most affect the sustainability of a crop or farming system. In many cases, the biologi cal diversity of plant species enables the identification and selectio n of high-yielding, tolerant cultivars. Through methodical and ongoing research, oil palm Fusarium wilt has been overcome. The research prog rammes launched against bud rot,though not so far advanced, are based on the resistance of Elaeis oleifera. likewise, Ganoderma resistance i ndexes are known, but their utilization remains limited. For oil palm marchitez and coconut hartrot, in the absence of a resistance index, c ontrol methods involve management of the environment to control the ve ctor insect, lastly, resistance sources have been identified in two co conut ecotypes; they provide hope of a promising outcome to lethal yel lowing control. Few insect species threaten the life of a palm. They a re merely responsible for a drop in yields. An oil palm plantation con tains an entomological complex comprising pests and their natural enem ies, which play a considerable role in regulating populations. Given t he fragility of this environment, control methods have to respect the ecosystem as much as possible. Whether it be for diseases or pests, ma n now has a panoply of methods at his disposal for the rational contro l of pests and diseases whilst respecting biological balances.