Microwave heating: A promising and eco-compatible solution to fight the spread of red palm weevil

Abstract

The red palm weevil is one of the major pests of palms. Until now no effective and economic method has been adopted for the total eradication of this pest and some concerns are raised for chemical methods, mainly in ornamental plants located in urban areas. Among the proposed techniques, a very promising and eco-compatible solution is the palm microwave heating, which could be integrated in a IPM approach. Advantages of microwave disinfestation include speed, efficiency and the absence of toxic, hazardous or polluting residues. Moreover, insects are not likely to develop a resistance to radiation as they often do to chemical insecticides. This work aims to resume our results on the feasibility of microwave applications on infested Phoenix canariensis palms. Temperatures that can be lethal to insects applied on the external layers do not affect the internal palm tissues. Moreover, microwaves can influence the ability of reproduction of the survived weevils. Once the physical/thermal parameters of the tissues were determined, a protocol of duration of time and schedule (on-off cycles) was developed for a better control of the temperature profile inside the palm. In this way, the lethal temperature dose for the insects was applied using a ring microwave applicator.