Development of Nuclear DNA Markers for Applications in Genetic Diversity Study of Oil Palm-Pollinating Weevil Populations.

The oil palm-pollinating weevil ( Faust) was introduced from Cameroon, West Africa, to Malaysia in 1981, and subsequently, to other oil palm-growing countries as well. This study aims to develop a set of robust -specific nuclear DNA markers to directly assess the genetic diversity of the weevil populations. A total of 19,148 SNP and 223,200 SSR were discovered from 48 weevils representing three origins (Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, and Riau) using RAD tag sequencing.

Physical and Physiological Monitoring on Red Palm Weevil-Infested Oil Palms.

The red palm weevil (RPW) is a stem boring Coleoptera that decimates host palm trees from within. The challenge of managing this pest is due to a lack of physical symptoms during the early stages of infestation. Investigating the physiological changes that occur within RPW-infested palm trees may be useful in establishing a new approach in RPW detection.