Journal of Oil Palm Research Vol. 36 (2) September 2024, p. 393-408
BIOLOGY AND POPULATION DYNAMICS OF ADULT Sagalassa valida WALKER, 1856 (Lepidoptera: Brachodidae), THE OIL PALM ROOT BORER IN COLOMBIA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21894/jopr.2023.0034
Received: 19 August 2022 Accepted: 15 May 2023 Published Online: 8 August 2023
Sagalassa valida is a pest of economic importance because the larval stage feeds on the root system of the oil palm. In this investigation, the life cycle, the population dynamics of the adults, and their natural enemies were determined through biweekly samplings for 43 months in two lots of oil palm; located in the Central and Western Zone of Colombia. It was determined that the life cycle of S. valida is 64.1 days on average; the duration of each stage was: egg 9.2 ± 0.5 days, larva 38.1 ± 4.9 days (five instars), prepupa 2.9 ± 1.1 days, pupa 13.9 ± 1.1 days and adult 12.3 ± 4.3 days. The adults of S. valida were present in the two zones during the study; using Spearman’s correlation index, it was determined that in the Central Zone, the precipitation presented a direct and significant correlation with the variables: number of males (ρ = 0.24; P = 0.023) and the total number of adults (ρ = 0.21; P = 0.044). Ten natural enemies of S. valida and 14 weeds were identified in the study areas. This information is essential to implement an efficient management strategy for S. valida in plantations.
KEYWORDS:1 National University of Colombia
(Universidad Nacional de Colombia – UNAL).
2 Colombian Oil Palm Research Centre
(Corporación Centro de Investigación en Palma de Aceite –
Cenipalma (Colombia).
3 National Federation of Coffee Growers
(Federación Nacional de Cafeteros – FNC).
* Corresponding author e-mail: jpastrana@cenipalma.org