The Department of Ecological Transition and Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo of Lanzarote continue to work on the execution of a comprehensive project to effectively address the plague of Diocalandra frumenti in the palm grove of Lanzarote, which has a budget of 2 million euros.
The Minister of Ecological Transition, Mariano Hernández Zapata, during his visit to the island of Lanzarote to check the progress of the implemented works, explained that through this project of Control and Eradication of Diocalandra frumenti, the aim has been to "stop the expansion of this insect that is considerably damaging the island's palm grove, seeking to increase the plague-free zone and establish phytosanitary measures to prevent re-infection."
In this way, he stated that "the inspection and census of 75,000 palm trees has already been carried out to determine the degree of affectation and assess the treatment to be received," explaining that the works began in Haría, as it is the area with the lowest incidence of the plague, and have been progressing through all the municipalities of the island until reaching Yaiza at the end of 2024, where the works are still ongoing." In this sense, he detailed that "the municipalities with the greatest affectation are Teguise, San Bartolomé, Tías, and Yaiza, with 42% of the palm grove affected."
For his part, the vice president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Jacobo Medina, explained that the phytosanitary treatment works have been carried out almost entirely "through the endotherapy technique on a total of 2,010 palm trees," stating that only those specimens that, due to their morphological characteristics, do not allow the endotherapy technique, have been treated by spraying," especially in the municipalities of Haría, Teguise, and San Bartolomé.
Likewise, another outstanding action within the project has been the implementation of "a trapping network to monitor suspicious palm trees that did not show obvious symptoms of the presence of plague and, on the other hand, to proceed with the massive capture of adults." Likewise, "traps have been placed on palm trees that have been treated previously, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of these phytosanitary treatments," assured the councilor, who explained.
Currently, the traps are strategically placed in palm trees in the municipality of Haría, but soon networks will be established in palm trees located in other municipalities of the island.
In this same line, Mariano H. Zapata took stock after the first year of management, highlighting that one of the pillars of the project "lies in training and dissemination, with the launch of five training sessions for personnel linked to the management of palm trees." An action to which is added the updating of basic practical content and knowledge about this plague in a triptych that will soon be available in digital and paper format for interested people.
The threat of Diocalandra frumenti
The Canary palm tree is part of both the landscape and the economy of the agricultural sector. It is also used as an ornamental plant in handicrafts for the elaboration of basketry, or for culinary purposes, such as obtaining palm honey and guarapo, so its care is fundamental in all aspects, and it is considered a plant symbol of our Autonomous Community.
Diocalandra frumenti, located in 1988 in Maspalomas, has been spreading through the palm groves of the Canary Islands and its damages are caused by the function that the larvae perform when feeding on the palm tree, drilling galleries in roots, petioles (rachis) of the leaves, inflorescences and fruits and, even, in the stipe or trunk.
These conditions cause chlorosis and premature falling of the palm tree leaves. In addition, the vascular bundles can be affected, leading to serious damage to the palm trees.
