A Review of Date palm integrated pest management (Challenges and Solutions)

Various biotic and abiotic factors induces stress to the plant. Climatic changes, monoculture systems and irregular use of chemical pesticides affect pests and their natural enemies in the date palm agricultural ecosystems. Date palm pests are initially an ecological problem rather than a chemical problem, so unprincipled use of costly chemical pesticides is a failed strategy. Biological control is the backbone of the integrated pest management program which is based on three control methods including cultural control, resistant cultivars and chemical control (in compulsory conditions) are incorporated by that. Augmentation biological control has been done by inoculated release of Coccinelid predator Stethorous gilvifrons, Bacillus thurengeinsis and Metarhizium anisopliae against date palm spider mite, the lesser date moth and long horned beetle respectively. Date production efficiency can be increased by implementing the advanced cultural control practices. The correct enforcement of cultural control such as tillage, fertilization, irrigation and bunch management reduce date palm pest damages. The susceptibility of the date palm cultivars also effect the performance of integrated pest management programs. As a supplementary step a number of specific pesticides are recommended in integrated pest management of date palm. One of the most important problems of date palm pests control is accurate decision making system including forecasting and monitoring. A substantial and rapid change is necessary in order to achieve the ecological and economic approach of date palm pest control.