Integrated Management of Dubas Bug, Ommatissus lybicus, Bergevin in Fars and Boushehr Provinces of Iran

Dubas bug, Ommatissus lybicus, is a key pest of date Palm in Fars and Bousher provinces of Iran. It causes a heavy damage to date palm trees and decreases the quality of its fruits through sucking the sap and secretion of high amount of honeydew. Using insecticides has been the main method to control this pest in Iran during the last decades. Due to many disadvantages of this method, evaluation of the alternative methods is necessary to design integrated control program for this pest. This research was carried out in a randomized complete block design with 7 treatments in 3 replicates during the years 2011 and 2012 in two date palm orchards in Fars and Boushehr provinces. Treatments were: Diazinon (EC 60% 1.5 L/ha.), leave pruning, Diazinon leave pruning, Diazinon leave pruning滩 covering, Diazinon leave pruning yellow cards, leave pruning bunch covering yellow cards and Control treatment. Mortality percentage in treatments was calculated using Henderson – Ttillton formula (1995) and the treatments means were compared with Duncan test. In both regions, treatments containing Diazinon showed the maximum efficiency and had significant differences with treatments lacking insecticide. The lowest efficiency was observed in non – chemical treatments including leave pruning and leave pruning bunch covering yellow cards. In conclusion, Insecticides are the key element of integrated control program of Dubas bug and their integration with cultural practices (Leaf pruning and bunch covering) increases the efficiency of IPM program and the quality of fruits in the commercial date plantations.