Interaction of Oil Palm Pollinator (Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust) on Oil Palm (Elais guineensis Jack.) in Outside the Main Oil Palm Plantation Habitat

Abstract

Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust is the main pollinator insect of oil palm plants (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.), which plays an essential role in pollination. Research on the behaviour of E. kamerunicus in several oil palm plantation habitats, such as Sumatra and Kalimantan, shows a decrease in visits to female flowers, thus reducing its efficiency as a pollinator. It is unknown whether this behavior occurs in E. kamerunicus colonies outside of oil palm plantation habitats. This study identified the dominance and activity of E. kamerunicus outside of oil palm plantations. This study examines the daily activity of E. kamerunicus in male and female oil palm inflorescences during the anthesis phase. Field observations were conducted daily during the anthesis period, in the morning (8:00– 10:00 a.m.), afternoon (11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.), and evening (2:00–4:00 p.m.). The kinds of flower-visiting insects and the duration of their exploration were recorded. The results showed that E. kamerunicus was the dominant visitor on male (67%) and female (51%) flowers. The highest E. kamerunicus visitation activity on female inflorescence was recorded between 12:00 AM - 2:00 PM (an average of 18.38insects per inflorescence) and between 8:00 AM – 10.00 AM (average 4,24 minutes per insect) on male inflorescence. The average duration of visits to female inflorescences also tended to be longer from the afternoon to the evening. This result differs from the activity of E. kamerunicus in plantation habitats. Thus, this study provides new insights into the pollinator activity of E. kamerunicus in non-oil palm plantation habitats.