In Nuquí, coconut producers intensify phytosanitary measures to prevent the black weevil
Installation of traps for black weevil in rural area of Nuquí, Chocó.
With the permanent accompaniment of the Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA), coconut producers from the townships of Jurubirá, Joví and Coquí, in the municipality of Nuquí, Chocó, were trained in the creation and establishment of traps for the black weevil, vector of the nematode (worm ) causing the disease known as red ring of the palms.
During the sessions, the officials gave practical guidance to the coconut palms on how to prepare a trap with pheromones to capture the insect and thus prevent and protect their crops.
“28 hectares of coconut crops were covered, where it was observed that all were with planting distances of 7m x 7m in a monoculture system. It is important that producers take phytosanitary measures to prevent and manage populations of pest insects such as the black weevil,” said the ICA section manager in Chocó, Luis Eduardo Klínger Castro.
Since pests in coconut crops limit their productivity and deteriorate the quality of harvests, ICA staff also recommended that producers implement good practices, have a continuous monitoring system, and keep the network of cheating
“We seek to prevent this insect (black weevil) from continuing to damage coconut plantations, with an effective method such as the use of pheromone traps for its control, as well as the implementation of phytosanitary measures to prevent the spread of pests that they harm the normal development of the plantation”, stated Klínger Castro.