*4.8.1.1 Nature and symptoms of injury*

Birds deliberately cause harm by primarily eating mesocarp, leaving just fibres on the seeds. Birds may cause partial or total damage. Birds consume 40–50% of the weight of each fruit in fruit that is partially damaged. Weight loss of 68–73% may be seen in bunches with entire fruit destruction. All the fruits in many ripe fruit bunches are lost, resulting in a 100% loss in fruit weight. When fruit is first starting to ripen (130–150 days old), partial fruit damage is more prevalent, however complete fruit damage is found as fruit ripening progresses. Fruit loss in fully developed bunches of 160–180 days is incredibly high.

*Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Oil Palm,* Elaeis guineensis *Jacq. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.108580*

Bird damage to palm trees is worse in border areas (24.8%) compared to inside plantations (11.4%). Bird damage was estimated to cause an average loss of fruits per bunch of 2.3 kg in border palms and 1.3 kg in interior palms. A mean of 1.8 kg, or 4% of the mesocarp, was lost due to bird damage in each harvested bunch. In Malaysia, it is estimated that these bugs have caused a 30% loss. According to estimates, India loses two.8 tonnes of fresh fruit bundles (FFB) per hectare per year, equivalent to 420 kg of oil [58].

### *4.8.1.2 Management*


#### *4.8.2 Mammalian pests*

Rat (*Ratus rattus* wroughtoni), House rat (*Rattus rattus* rufescens) Lesser bandicoot (*Bandicota bengalensis*), Larger bandicoot (*Bandicota indica*), Indian gerbil (*Tatera indica* cuvieri), Western Ghat squirrel (*Funambulus tristriatus*) and Procupines (*Hystrix indica*) attack oil palm at various stages of its development.

#### *4.8.2.1 Nature and symptoms of injury*

Burrowing rat,*T. indica* (Hardwicke) was found attacking the young oil palm plants by migrating from the adjacent maize fields further because the forest plants. They burrow all the way down to the bole region by making cavities to feed the cabbage tissue leading to the wilting of leaves and mortality of the palms. The immature fruit bunches that were between 2 and 3 months old were the principal food sources for the roof rat, *R. rattus* Linn. They were discovered drawn, taking use of the semi-solid apical mesocarp and kernel region of the fruit. Because the fruits were only partially chopped, the symptoms of an attack are visible. Rats consume

both ripe and unripe bunches of fruit as well as the exposed pericarp of ripe and unripe fruits in mature palm trees [32]. Rodents use their incisors to attack the pericarp, creating distinctive gnawing imprints on fruits. Rats consume the grub and pupae of pollinating weevils while destroying the spikelets of the male inflorescences. Newly planted seedlings are dug up by a boar (*Sus scrofa*), who then eats them. If they are available, they also consume the fruits from the tree's bunches.
