Coconut Development Board (CDB) will promote a new technology that controls pests in coconut trees. The technology that was invented by Bio-Control Research Laboratories (BCRL), a division of Pest Control India Pvt Ltd, would control the pests like Rhinoceros beetle (RB) and Red Palm Weevil (RPW) in coconut palms. CDB funded 50% of the project carried out by BCRL in this connection, said K P Jayanth, vice-president of BCRL. The technology helps mass trapping of pests like RB and RPW. The technique is supported by pheromone lures produced in-house to attract the pests into trap that is designed by BCRL. The company has applied for patent for the product, said Jayanth. The field trials have been carried out in 400 acres of coconut farm, with 100 acres each in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, Jayanth added. In fact, farmers were struggling to control the pest attack that could result in uprooting the tree. According to a case study conducted on 45,195 coconut tress planted in 825 acres in different parts of the four southern states, Jayanth said that 2,070 trees were affected due to pest attack. The pest problem was active in high-density coconut farming areas like Alappuzha in Kerala and Udupi in Karnataka. The field trials proved that the new technology was viable for implementation to control pests in coconut palms, Jayanth said.