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Volume 07
Advances in Crop Science and Technology
ISSN: 2329-8863
Agri 2019
August 15-16, 2019
August 15-16, 2019 | Rome, Italy
14
th
International Conference on
Agriculture & Horticulture
Sustainable control of oil palm insect pests in Malaysia
Norman Kamarudin
1
and
Mohd Mazmira Mohd Masri
2
1
Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysia
2
Bandar Baru Bangi, Malaysia
T
he oil palm environment in Malaysia is rich in many ecosystem services which can be benefited to control pests
and diseases. Some examples are the soil microbes which consist of entomopathogenic fungi and bacteria which
can be exploited for insect control, especially bagworms, rhinoceros beetle and termites. The bagworms (Lepidoptera:
Psychidae) are currently severely infesting oil palm plantations in Malaysia. The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) of
bagworms includes aerial spraying of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), cultivation of beneficial plants and fixing of natural
pheromone traps. The rhinoceros beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), can be managed with the soil fungus
Metarhizium
and the Oryctes nudivirus (OrNV). The subterranean termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) can be controlled with two
entomopathogenic fungi,
Beauveria bassiana
and
Metarhizium anisopliae
with perform similarly as an insecticide. Birds
are also examples of ecosystem services which can be further exploited for the control of rodents and also insect pests.
There are several endemic nocturnal and diurnal bird species inhabiting the oil palm plantation which have the potential
to control pests, especially bagworms. This paper deliberates on some of the endemic ecosystem services in Malaysia
which have been exploited towards the management of major insect pests in oil palm. The enhancement of existing and
introduced ecosystem services would ensure better management of insect pests for the sustainable cultivation of oil palm.
norman@mpob.gov.myAdv Crop Sci Tech 2019, Volume 07