There is a difficult equation that must be achieved by palm farmers in the Arab world, which is the availability of dates free from pesticide residues as well as from fruiting insect infestations. There are international requirements for this matter, as the percentage of fruits infected with insect pests should not exceed N (5 – 6)%, with which it is necessary not to Use of pesticides during the pre-harvest period as well as during the storage period. Palm trees and their investments have become a major player in the economy of most date-producing countries, whether it is a final product for local consumption or for export. From this standpoint, the production of dates has international quality standards and criteria. It must be available so that we can trade our dates economically and achieve the desired commercial returns. Especially since our countries in the Middle East are the largest producers of items with global demand. And with the increase in global demand for it, it was necessary to apply many safe systems in control and the use of different pesticides, and with the high different costs on farms, it was necessary to look at the control in another perspective.
It is how to raise palm immunity towards insect infestations of our different dates, and what are the other safe methods that we can use to reduce the use of pesticides.
This article aims at how to create immunity in plants towards insect infestations and how to self-stimulate it within the plant, and then to delve into the study of the red weevil’s preference for infecting certain varieties of palm trees, and its relationship to the autoimmunity of palm trees, etc. The various fertilizer treatments that have an effective role in raising Immunity towards insect infections as well as its role in control.
What does immunity mean in plants: Oxygen is the source of life for all living organisms and is present in the environment around us in an inactive manner. As for plants, the oxygen (O2) produced from it is also in a state of stability and inactivity, but it can be transformed internally. Eh Energy from oxygen is called reactive oxygen (ROS). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are by-products of plant aerobic metabolism and are produced in several cellular compartments such as chloroplasts (Dietz al et al., 2016) and mitochondria (Huang et al, 2016). and peroxisomes (and Sandalio 2015, Puertas-Romero) low ROS levels are essential for the progression of many essential biological processes, including cellular proliferation and differentiation, regulate normal plant growth, and respond to environmental or plant stress. Insect and fungal infections at higher levels may form reactive oxygen species. This indicates that ROS has a dual role in palm trees, depending on the different levels of the resulting interaction and the possibility of it crossing the membranes between plant cells.
As for their role as interactive molecules, ROS types oxidize and modify some cellular components and prevent them from performing their original functions. Under unfavorable conditions, plants generate a number of ROS types that participate in regulating various processes, including defense of Diseases and insect infestations
Reactive oxygen species exist in ionic and/or molecular states. Each ROS has a different oxidation potential and influences different physiological and biochemical reactions that are regulated by different genes in plants. Examples of this are k H2O2 interacts with hormones to regulate plant growth and plant responses Stress, including insect stress. Under normal conditions, excessive ROS can be eliminated through antioxidant defense mechanisms. In case of disturbance of the balance between the production and disposal of (ROS) due to various biotic and abiotic stresses, and therefore the plant is obligated to maintain this balance through other mechanisms to maintain the balance because the imbalance and high (RO) S) leads to severe damage to plants.
Mechanisms for ROS clearance when elevated Enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems, which work in a powerful regulatory manner to maintain homeostasis Enzymatic systems mainly include SOD, catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (PYR), and glutathione ydase) in non-enzymatic systems Essential by low molecular weight antioxidants, such as glutathione, ascorbic acid (AsA), and flavonoids
From what was previously mentioned, when an insect infestation of the red palm weevil occurs in any part of the palm tree, the palm tree reacts towards that matter, so that the plant cells surrounding the site of the infestation begin by activating oxygen (O2) and it turns into an active form from the aforementioned forms that are compatible with With the severity of the infection, therefore, the percentage of (ROS) begins to gradually increase, which is immediately followed by enzymatic or/and non-enzymatic activity to maintain its levels below the toxic limit of that injury or insect stress that occurred on the plant.
Reaction of palms to the red palm weevil infection: Many studies have been conducted to find out what is the reaction of different types and cultivars of palm trees to the red palm weevil infection. And through a comparative study on varieties
In the next article, we will discuss the relationship of fertilization with immunity towards insect infestations
