Identification of molecular markers associated with Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliv.) infestation in date palm through differential proteomics approach

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the major producers of fine quality dates and ranks second in global date production. This important fruit crop is under threat due to highly invasive pest, the red palm weevil (RPW) (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus). Failure in early detection of RPW infestation is the major obstacle in its successful management. To characterize molecular responses in RPW infested date palm, protein expression differences among the healthy, artificially wounded, and red palm weevil infested date palm plants were evaluated using highly sensitive two-dimensional differential gel electrophoresis (2D-DIGE) followed by Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization- Time of Flight (MALDI-TOF-TOF). 2D-DIGE results revealed qualitative and quantitative differences between control and infested date palm samples. The data from the above extensive experimentation will be presented in the symposium.