Economic losses of lesser date moth (Batrachedra amydraula. Meyrick) (Cosmopterygidae:Lepidoptera) on the two cultivars, Varieties Khastawi and Zahdi of date palm in the middle of Iraq

Abstract

The study was conducted in date palm plantation in Tarmiia, Baghdad province, Iraq, during 2003 growing season in order to estimate the economic losses of lesser date moth (Batrachedra amydraula. Meyrick) on two cultivars of date palm (Phoenix dectylifera L.).The results showed that average number of fruits in Zahdi was 30801 fruit / tree at the last week of April and became 17238 fruit / tree at the second week of July . Of the 15349 fallen fruit / tree there were 980 infested fruits which amounts to a percentage economic loss of 5.37% equaling about 7.84 kg / tree . Where as in Khastawi there were 29844 fruit / tree at the first week of May and became 11200 fruit / tree at the end of July ، so that the number of fallen fruits were 18644 of which 6702 were infested amounting to a percentage economic loss of 37.43% equaling 44.68 kg / tree.The study indicated a significant positive relationship between number of larvae and number of fallen infested fruits . It was averaged between 0.004 – 12.76 larvae / 100 fallen infested fruits in Zahdi , and 0.43 – 32.02 larvae / 100 fallen infested fruits in Khastawi , when the percentage of infestation in fallen fruits was 0.2 – 45.6% and 5.4 – 94.2% in Zahdi and Khastawi respectively . Coefficient of correlation (r) was 0.990 in Zahdi and 0.994 in Khastawi .