Effectiveness of Netting Barriers on Immature Oil Palm Boundaries to Prevent Oryctes Imago Infestation

Abstract

This research aims to compare the effectiveness of various barrier net installation heights on the borders of immature oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) areas to prevent attacks by the imago of the Oryctes rhinoceros pest. A field experiment method was conducted using a Randomized Block Design (RBD) with three net height treatments (2 m, 2.5 m, and 3 m) and a control over an eight-week observation period at PTPN IV Regional 1 Gunung Para Estate. The analysis results indicated that variations in net height did not significantly affect (p = 0.226) the number of beetles found, with the highest average attack recorded in the control group (0.667). Conversely, the block location factor had a highly significant effect (p = 0.006), where Block N16A remained completely free from pest attacks (absolute 0 value). This study concludes that the installation of physical nets alone does not provide a significant difference in suppressing pest populations without considering spatial layout or the proximity of breeding sites around the plantation blocks.