Effect of ethyl acetate on improving the performance of pheromone traps for the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Col.: Dryophthoridae), is key pest of date palm trees. In field conditions, the aggregation pheromone of this pest alone does not sufficiently attractive, so the parenchymal tissue of the date palm trunk commonly used as a plant bait alongside the pheromone. Therefore, identifying an inexpensive and stable synthetic compound to replace the natural bait is essential. To evaluate the efficacy of ethyl acetate, three field experiments were conducted. Initially, the performance of traps containing (1) pheromone, (2) ethyl acetate, (3) pheromone+ethyl acetate, and (4) an unbaited control was evaluated. In the second experiment, different amounts of plant‑based bait derived from the parenchymal tissue of the date palm trunk (200, 500, and 1500 g) and three doses of ethyl acetate (450, 850, and 1630 mg day⁻¹) were compared. In the third experiment, insect preference for pheromone versus ethyl acetate was examined using paired traps placed 0.5 m apart. Treatments included paired traps baited with (1) ethyl acetate in both traps, (2) pheromone in both traps, (3) pheromone+ethyl acetate simultaneously in both traps, and (4) pheromone in one trap and ethyl acetate in the other. The results showed that combining the aggregation pheromone with ethyl acetate produced a synergistic effect. No significant differences were observed among the tested doses of ethyl acetate. In paired‑trap comparisons, capture rates in pheromone‑baited traps were significantly higher than those in traps containing ethyl acetate. This preference suggests that ethyl acetate attracts red palm weevils from longer distances and guides them toward pheromone traps. Ethyl acetate can be used as an effective synthetic synergistic kairomone to improve the efficiency of pheromone traps and reduce practical limitations in mass‑trapping programs.

Keywords

References

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Plant Pest Research
Volume 15, Issue 4
March 2026
Pages 13-24

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History

  • Receive Date: 24 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 09 February 2026
  • Accept Date: 10 February 2026

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