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Review
. 2023 Mar 4;14(3):255.
doi: 10.3390/insects14030255.

Omics in the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A Bridge to the Pest

Manee M Manee  1   2 , Fahad H Alqahtani  1   2 , Badr M Al-Shomrani  1   2 , Hamadttu A F El-Shafie  3 , Guilherme B Dias  4
Affiliations
Review

Omics in the Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): A Bridge to the Pest

Manee M Manee et al. Insects. .

Abstract

The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most devastating pest of palm trees worldwide. Mitigation of the economic and biodiversity impact it causes is an international priority that could be greatly aided by a better understanding of its biology and genetics. Despite its relevance, the biology of the RPW remains poorly understood, and research on management strategies often focuses on outdated empirical methods that produce sub-optimal results. With the development of omics approaches in genetic research, new avenues for pest control are becoming increasingly feasible. For example, genetic engineering approaches become available once a species's target genes are well characterized in terms of their sequence, but also population variability, epistatic interactions, and more. In the last few years alone, there have been major advances in omics studies of the RPW. Multiple draft genomes are currently available, along with short and long-read transcriptomes, and metagenomes, which have facilitated the identification of genes of interest to the RPW scientific community. This review describes omics approaches previously applied to RPW research, highlights findings that could be impactful for pest management, and emphasizes future opportunities and challenges in this area of research.

Keywords: draft genome; insect pests; metagenomics; red palm weevil; transcriptomics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The life cycle stages of the red palm weevil, R. ferrugineus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Geographic distribution of the red palm weevil, based on data from the Invasive Species Compendium. Available at https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/47472 (Accessed 31 January 2023).
Figure 3
Figure 3
A severely infested date palm.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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