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Introduction
Bananas (Musa spp.; Linnaeus, 1753) are essential for food security (Nelson, Ploetz & Kepler, 2006). Spain (Canary Islands) is the top European Union banana producer (Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2020), with 420.144 tons per year (Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAPA), 2021a). The main pests and pathogens that affect bananas are banana weevil (BW, Cosmopolites sordidus; Germar, 1824; Coleoptera: Curculionidae), plant-parasitic nematodes and the fungal pathogen, Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc) ((Smith) Snyder and Hansen). The latter is the causal agent of Panama Disease (Fusarium wilt) (Ostmark, 1974; Dubois et al., 2004; Oberprieler, Marvaldi & Anderson, 2007; Waweru et al., 2014). These pests and pathogens harm banana roots and corm, reducing water and nutrient absorption (Gold, Pena & Karamura, 2001). This decreases banana vigour, size and may lead to plant death (Nankinga & Moore, 2000; Dubois et al., 2004; Waweru et al., 2014). BW can act as a Foc tropical race 4 vector strain, the main current threat to bananas worldwide (Meldrum et al., 2013). Therefore, control of BW may also reduce the spread of banana pathogens (Guillén-Sanchez et al., 2022).
Cosmopolites sordidus is the main pest of banana plantations in the Canary Islands (Spain) (Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente (MAPA), 2016). Infestations of banana fields by BW can lead to up 90% loss in yield (Carballo, 1998; Musabyimana et al., 2001; Muñoz-Ruiz, 2007). Larval feeding tunnels in banana corm cause plant damage (Franzmann, 1972). These tunnels alter nutrient content and plant stability (Gold, Pena & Karamura, 2001), delay flowering, weaken the plant and even destroy the root system. These effects cause a reduction of fruit size and production, as well as growth of offshoots plants and an increase in susceptibility to other pests and diseases (Piedra-Buena Díaz et al., 2021). In severe cases, this can lead to plant death (Rukazambuga, Gold & Gowen, 1998).
Due to its cryptic behaviour, BW is a difficult pest to control (Tresson et al., 2021). Few approaches can be used to manage this pest in an environmentally safe manner. Traps with BW aggregation pheromones (sordidin) are used usually by farmers to monitor BW populations (Reddy, Cruz & Guerrero, 2009). Chemical insecticides applications are implemented when...