Abstract
The oil palm pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus, was introduced into the oil palm growing areas of South East Asia and the Pacific from West Africa in the early 1980s. The introduction of the weevil into Papua New Guinea made a significant contribution to the economic viability of the industry, and was particularly helpful to the smallholder sector. This paper describes work undertaken to evaluate the longterm viability and sustainability of insect pollination of oil palm by E. kamerunicus. The study had three main objectives:- (i) To screen the existing E. kamerunicus populations within Papua New Guinea and overseas for evidence of infection by parasitic nematodes; (ii) To determine the degree of genetic separation between weevil populations in Papua New Guinea and natural populations in West Africa, using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique for genetic fingerprinting; and (iii) To assess the potential to improve the genetic base of the existing population DIE. kamerunicus within Papua New Guinea. Field work for the study was undertaken in al! oil palm growing regions of Papua New Guinea, as well as 1ndonesia, Ghana, and Costa Rica. The results of the study are presented, and recommendations made for future work.6 ref.The oil palm pollinating weevil, Elaeidobius kamerunicus, was introduced into the oil palm growing areas of South East Asia and the Pacific from West Africa in the early 1980s. The introduction of the weevil into Papua New Guinea made a significant contribution to the economic viability of the industry, and was particularly helpful to the smallholder sector. This paper describes work undertaken to evaluate the longterm viability and sustainability of insect pollination of oil palm by E. kamerunicus. The study had three main objectives:- (i) To screen the existing E. kamerunicus populations within Papua New Guinea and overseas for evidence of infection by parasitic nematodes; (ii) To determine the degree of genetic separation between weevil populations in Papua New Guinea and natural populations in West Africa, using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique for genetic fingerprinting; and (iii) To assess the potential to improve the genetic base of the existing population DIE. kamerunicus within Papua New Guinea. Field work for the study was undertaken in al! oil palm growing regions of Papua New Guinea, as well as 1ndonesia, Ghana, and Costa Rica. The results of the study are presented, and recommendations made for future work.