Towards Monitoring and Identification of Red Palm Weevil Gender Using Microwave CSRR-Loaded TL Sensors

Area of Science:

• * Agricultural Engineering
• * Applied Electromagnetics
• * Pest Management

Background:

• * Red palm weevil (RPW) is a significant agricultural pest.
• * Accurate gender identification is crucial for effective pest control strategies.
• * Current methods for RPW identification can be labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To design and validate a microwave sensing setup for RPW gender identification.
• * To evaluate the sensitivity and accuracy of the proposed sensor.
• * To establish a non-invasive method for distinguishing between male and female RPWs and different developmental stages.

Main Methods:

• * Design of a planar two-port transmission line (TL) microwave sensor with a complementary split-ring resonant (CSRR) inclusion.
• * Numerical simulation and experimental fabrication and testing of the CSRR sensor.
• * Evaluation of sensor performance with 15 red palm weevil samples (adults and larvae).
• * Analysis of unique microwave signatures and resonance frequency shifts for different RPW genders and life stages.

Main Results:

• * Simulated and experimental results showed good correlation.
• * The CSRR sensor demonstrated sensitivity to the presence of RPWs.
• * Distinct microwave signatures were observed for different RPW genders and developmental stages.
• * An average resonance frequency shift of 10% was recorded for adult RPWs, and 2.4% for larvae.

Conclusions:

• * The proposed microwave sensing setup effectively differentiates between RPW genders and developmental stages.
• * This technology offers a promising non-invasive tool for real-time pest monitoring and management.
• * Field trials are recommended to further validate the system's applicability in agricultural settings.