Inflorescence attractivity and dynamics of emergence of Elaeidobius sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a key pollinator in oil palm agrosystem in Cameroun
Abstract
Elaeidobius spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are essential for the pollination of oil palms. Elaeidobius kamerunicus is the most studied pollinator weevil of oil palms. Elaeidobius subvittatus and E. plagiatus, which are also common, are less studied. An experiment aimed at comparing visits to oil palm inflorescences, the dynamics of emergence, and the pollination efficiency of these three species in Cameroon showed that E. plagiatus and E. kamerunicus emerged more rapidly from the male inflorescences (2.6 days and 5.6 days, respectively) than E. subvittatus (17.5 days). Additionally, female inflorescences attracted Elaeidobius spp. primarily at stage D1 of anthesis, and the male inflorescences attracted the weevils primarily at the stages D1, D2, and D3. For the entire anthesis period of male inflorescences, more E. subvittatus were trapped than E. kamerunicus or E. plagiatus (168, 72, and 35 specimens per trap, respectively). A similar distribution was observed for female inflorescences (12, 7, and 1 specimens per trap, respectively). The male of E. kamerunicus showed the highest score of pollen load (1.6 compared with less than 0.8 for the other Elaeidobius species). This confirms the choice of E. kamerunicus as the most efficient pollinator. However, more experiments are needed to investigate the complementarity of the different species as well as the dispersal capability of these weevils in different climatic conditions to establish the relationship between Elaeidobius spp. and fruit set.
Related
- Mutualistic relationships between male inflorescences of Elaeis guineensis Jacquin and its pollinator Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Derelominae): Comparison between two cultivars for E. kamerunicus progeny emergence in North Sumatra Indonesia
- Capacity of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacquin) male inflorescences to host Elaeidobius kamerunicus Faust (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Derelominae). Comparison between two cultivars in northern Sumatra
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BibTeX
@article{petit2026inflorescence,
title = {{Inflorescence attractivity and dynamics of emergence of Elaeidobius sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a key pollinator in oil palm agrosystem in Cameroun}},
author = {Christophe Petit and Albert Flori and Ngo Mbouaemilienne Ngo Mboua and Samuel Efemba and Huguette Meyobeme and Brigitte Frérot and Laurence Beaudoin-Ollivier},
journal = {OCL Oilseeds and fats crops and lipids},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1051/ocl/2026021},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05834326v1},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Inflorescence attractivity and dynamics of emergence of Elaeidobius sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a key pollinator in oil palm agrosystem in Cameroun
AU - Christophe Petit
AU - Albert Flori
AU - Ngo Mbouaemilienne Ngo Mboua
AU - Samuel Efemba
AU - Huguette Meyobeme
AU - Brigitte Frérot
AU - Laurence Beaudoin-Ollivier
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - OCL Oilseeds and fats crops and lipids
DO - 10.1051/ocl/2026021
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05834326v1
AB - Elaeidobius spp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are essential for the pollination of oil palms. Elaeidobius kamerunicus is the most studied pollinator weevil of oil palms. Elaeidobius subvittatus and E. plagiatus, which are also common, are less studied. An experiment aimed at comparing visits to oil palm inflorescences, the dynamics of emergence, and the pollination efficiency of these three species in Cameroon showed that E. plagiatus and E. kamerunicus emerged more rapidly from the male inflorescences (2.6 days and 5.6 days, respectively) than E. subvittatus (17.5 days). Additionally, female inflorescences attracted Elaeidobius spp. primarily at stage D1 of anthesis, and the male inflorescences attracted the weevils primarily at the stages D1, D2, and D3. For the entire anthesis period of male inflorescences, more E. subvittatus were trapped than E. kamerunicus or E. plagiatus (168, 72, and 35 specimens per trap, respectively). A similar distribution was observed for female inflorescences (12, 7, and 1 specimens per trap, respectively). The male of E. kamerunicus showed the highest score of pollen load (1.6 compared with less than 0.8 for the other Elaeidobius species). This confirms the choice of E. kamerunicus as the most efficient pollinator. However, more experiments are needed to investigate the complementarity of the different species as well as the dispersal capability of these weevils in different climatic conditions to establish the relationship between Elaeidobius spp. and fruit set.
SN - 2272-6977
SN - 2257-6614
ER -