Seasonal activity of oil palm leaf webworm, Acria meyricki Shashank and Ramamurthy and its natural enemies in oil palm-cocoa intercropping system and their management in oil palm
Abstract
The pest was active during October to March. The population density ranged from 0.31 to 2.31 larvae/frond and 0.05 to 9.35 larvae/frond during first and second study periods respectively. The larval parasitoid, Dolichogenidea hyposidrae Wilkinson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was recorded to the tune of 7.14 to 98.21% and 2.66 to 95.0% during the first and second study periods respectively. Level of parasitism by pupal parasitoid, Brachymeria albotibialis (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) was 8.62 to 64.0%. In oil palm-cocoa intercropping system, lower pest density, lower pest damage and high level of parasitism by natural enemies were recorded. Insecticides viz., deltamethrin, lambda cyhalothrin, chlorantraniliprole, thiodicarb and fipronil were found effective in managing this pest under severe conditions in oil palm gardens.
Keywords
Acria meyricki, Cocoa, Insecticides, Intercropping, Oil palm, Parasitism, Seasonal
