Integrated Control Of The Key Insect Pests Of Date ýPalm Fruits In The New Valley Governorate, Egypt. ýýýýý

Samy Hussein Mohamed
Department of plant protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Assiut University, Assiut, ýEgypt.
E-mail: samy_hussein@Yaho.comý

Abstract

Cultivation of palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) in Egypt goes back ýthousands of years.The earliest evidence of its presence is testified by the drawing ýon the ancient Egyptian tombs, though it is believed that it existed long before that ýtime. The date palm represents the most important cash crop in New Valley. ýAround one million date palm trees are grown in the New Valley and the total ýannual production of date fruits reached about 20 000 tons. Cadra (=Ephestia) ýýspp. (Cadra cautella Walker, Cadra calidella (Guen)), ýýBatrachedra amydraula Meyer and Virachola livia Klug. are considered as ýmajor insect pests infesting date fruits in the field and the Cadra spp. are ýlater transmitted to the storehouse and consequently infestation was repeated and ýincreased. Integrated pest control (IPC), by using biological agents and minimizing ýthe use of chemical pesticides, could prove effective in reducing pest losses and ýinfestations. The present study was conducted to (i) evaluate the biological, ýchemical and mechanical control methods for controlling the key insect pests of ýdate palm fruits, (ii) study the relationship between the existence of shishlan and ýacacia trees and the incidence of date fruits infestation with pomegranate butterfly ýand (iii) using the sex pheromone and gamma irradiation to control Ephestia ýcautell. ý