Investigations on avian pests of oil palm, Elaeis guineensis Jacq. in India†

CPCRI contribution No. 629

Abstract

The common myna Acridotheres tristis Linn., the jungle crow Corvus macrorhynchus Wagner and the house crow Corvus splendens Viellot are the major pests of oil palm in India. Other birds like crow pheasant Centropus sinensis Stresmann, parrot Loriculus sp. and pariah kite Milvus migrans Sykes also feed on oil palm fruits. These birds feed on the fleshy mesocarp of the ripe fruits resulting in heavy fruit loss, significantly reducing oil yield. Gizzard and intestinal content analysis indicated that oil palm fruits are the major source of food for these birds. Observations on 1657 oil palm fruit bunches during 1985–86 revealed that 76% of the ripe bunches and 5.6% of the unripe bunches were damaged by birds. The damage by birds was either ‘partial’ or ‘complete’, where 40–50% and 80–100% respectively, of the individual fruit weight was lost. The partial fruit damage was more common in 130–160 day‐old bunches and the complete fruit damage increased after 150 days of fruit set. Fruit loss due to bird damage was higher in palms in the border area of the plantation (2.3 kg/bunch) than in the interior (1.3 kg/bunch). It is estimated that around 2.8 tonnes of fresh fruits/ha/yr, equivalent to 420 kg of palm oil, are lost due to bird damage.

Keywords:

• avian pests
• oil palm
• Elaeis Guineensis Jacq
• economic loss

Notes

Scientist S‐1 (Agricultural Entomology)

CPCRI contribution No. 629