Oil palm plantations, though not native to the USA, were introduced in the country as the need for palm oil increased and the technology in agriculture developed. This plant is now cultivated in states like Texas and Florida. This plant can be traditionally found in Southeast Asia and Africa. Oil palm harvest is not excluded when it comes to pest infestations, and it is very necessary for the people who cultivate it to know how to eliminate them from their plantations.
This blog will guide you through the challenges faced by the harvest owners of the oil palm plantations and their solutions. If your plantation gets infested, get rid of pests in St. George. The professionals will make your job easy by implementing their advanced methods to eliminate pests.
Common Pests Found In The Oil Palm Plantations
These are some of the most common pests that are found in the oil palm harvests, making them unhealthy to consume and making the environment dirty and inhabitable.
Red Palm Weevil is the biggest enemy of the oil palm plantations. They are mostly found in Asia and Africa, but there have been recent sightings of oil palm plantations based in the USA. Red weevil larvae bore into the stems of this tree, making them fall in the future. These pests can only be eliminated by chemical pesticides and dangerous cultural practices.
Rhinoceros beetles also pose a danger to the oil palm plantation as they bore into the crown of the palm causing a serious amount of damage to the growth of the plant. Eliminating them should be a priority for every plantation owner around the globe. Palm Aphids are also very dangerous to oil palm trees as they feed on the leaves of the tree and transmit various deadly diseases that are a threat to the people and plants.
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Common Problems In Pest Control Of Oil Palm Plantation
The main problem of pest control in the oil palm plantations is that the minor problems are amplified because the USA is not native to these plants. Taking care of them and protecting them from pests is very necessary for the health of the plantation.
As this tree is a newly introduced plant, there are relatively fewer pesticides for these plants than any other native plants. This makes it difficult to eliminate these pests from the plantations once they have infested them. Until now, the widely available form of pesticide for this plant is chemically induced.
The use of chemically induced pesticides is a very big threat to the environment of the country. However, the absence of natural pesticides drives the harvester to use the chemicals to kill the pets by using harmful chemicals. These chemicals also kill the beneficial pests that are crucial for the plantation.
Solutions For Effectual Pest Management In Oil Palm Plantations
There are some solutions for these problems that the harvesters can apply to keep their harvest safe from pests that pose a threat to them. Integrated Pest Management can be used to eliminate the pests that are a danger to oil palm plantations.
Some cultural methods like crop switching might be effective for the healthy growth of these trees as they will end the life generation cycle of pests specific to oil palm trees. Proper spacing of the trees will also help you stop their spread to other trees on the plantation. You should keep the plantation sanitized and clean, and do not let the debris of dead leaves lie on the plantation floor.
Biological control methods can also prove useful by using natural predators and parasites like parasitic wasps and predatory beetles in your plantation, as they will kill the pests and keep your plantation safe from these pests.
Call Your Pest Management Agency Today!
The professionals will be able to identify the pests in your plantation by their symptoms and will implement ways that will eliminate them profoundly and completely. Professional advice is also very useful if you are going to start an oil palm plantation.
