Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Global Invasion, Current Management Options, Challenges and Future Prospects

Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) also known as the Asian palm weevil is a key pest of palms (Arecaceae) in diverse agro-ecosystems the world over. During March 2017, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the UN through its 'Rome Declaration' called for the urgent need to combat RPW by collaborative efforts and commitments at the country, regional and global levels to stop the spread of this devastating pest. There exist gaps and challenges in almost all the components of the current RPW-IPM strategy, particularly with regard to early detection, developing and implementing phytosani-tary measures, lack of effective biological control agents in the field and poor farmer participation in the control programmes, which have made RPW control and eradica-tion extremely difficult. This chapter gives an overview of the global invasion, current management options, challenges and future prospects for its effective control.