Ibrahim Saleem (Abu Dhabi)
The palm tree is of strategic importance because of its role in the national economy and food security, in addition to its position and its connection to the heritage and history of the Emirates. The history of date palm cultivation in the country dates back to about 5,000 years, and archaeologists recorded its existence, and found the nuclei of its fruits in the archaeological sites in which they excavated, such as the archaeological site of Hili, which was irrigated with the water of the aflaj, and from this point of view was the relentless pursuit to develop the field of production Palms and dates, conducting applied research in this vital field, and protecting it from pests and insects that sometimes lead to the death of the palm.
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority confirmed that palm cultivation in the country has developed significantly and rapidly over the past years, stressing that it is working hard to develop and develop this sector and enhance its sustainability through the programs and services it provides to farmers, and encourage them to follow good practices for the production of dates in order to improve the quality and quality of the produced dates. In addition to monitoring the farms producing dates and limiting the use of agricultural pesticides, and obtaining clean dates that are free of pesticide residues, and at the level of development, the authority is keen to encourage the cultivation of commercial varieties with high productivity and good economic returns. Not born today.
The authority provided about 124,500 pheromone traps, and about 21,164 light traps at the level of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and about 10 million and about 108 thousand red palm weevils were caught by means of pheromone traps located in the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since the start of the program about 8 years ago, and about 2 Nearly one million excavators, using light traps, have been found in the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since the start of the program about 3 years ago, where the decrease in the number of insects is observed from year to year.
The authority pointed out that among the most important pests that infect palms are the red palm weevil, the long-horned palm stem borer, the palm taste borer and the donkey (small date worm) and the dust mite (spider). The ecosystem from the indiscriminate use of agricultural pesticides, in addition to removing dead palms and highly infested with various pests.
She confirmed the success of the integrated management program for pests affecting palm farms in reducing injuries, and this is evident in measuring the residual effect of pesticides on date palms, which are detected periodically in cooperation with the Al Foah Dates Company.
124,500 crimson trap
The intensive hunting program for insects using pheromone and light traps is considered one of the most important and a major component of integrated pest management programs. This program aims to reduce the numbers of red palm weevil and stem and stalk borers, and to indicate the pest prevalence rate and the geographical distribution of palm weevil and borers on the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Authority conducts periodic maintenance of the traps every month through its teams, so that it changes the pheromone, collects the insects that have been caught and counted, adds dates and water during the visit, and installs the trap and partially buries it in the soil. About 124,500 pheromone traps and about 21,164 light traps have been distributed across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. About 10,107,682 red palm weevil were caught by the pheromone traps found in the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since the start of the program about 8 years ago, and about 1,924,415 borers were caught by the light traps found in the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since the start of the program about 3 years ago. Insect numbers from year to year.
Modern irrigation system that saves 40% of water
The farmer Nasser Al-Zaabi called for the necessity of collective control of palm pests, and the use of the latest technologies for irrigation operations; As the water in excess of the palm’s need causes damage to the palm, especially that he applied a modern irrigation system on his farm that saved water and reduced injuries, and this was reflected in the quality of the dates and the density of the fruits.
He said: There are two important matters in the field of controlling pests and insects that infect palms, they are the simulated irrigation system using the RDI technology, which eliminates the agarwood worm, a system that saves about 40 percent of the water consumed, and the other is pest control using modern means, including the pheromone traps system. And optical, and recently a sensing system based on a mechanism to identify palm weevil.
He pointed out that the system of pheromone traps and pheromone traps succeeded to some extent in controlling the palm weevil, but did not completely eliminate it, as these traps are based on catching males and thus limiting their reproduction. He said: What is required is to adopt a national system to eliminate the palm weevil, pointing out He pointed out that there are modern technologies that have been applied by some countries and have been able to eradicate the palm weevil. He pointed out that the date palm is one of the sources of food security, and it is a major food, and there are industries based on the palm and its products.
Al Zaabi praised the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority in assisting farm owners, distributing traps, caring for palms, injecting them when needed, providing education, guidance, providing guides, and continuous visits and follow-ups, and we need to implement scientific tracking systems.
He said: There is a role for the owners of farms, especially those that are neglected, or those whose owners do not care about them so that they do not turn into a vector of diseases and pests. It undertakes the tasks of waste disposal, where the confrontation requires concerted efforts.
Two traps per hectare
With regard to the determinant of light or pheromone traps for each farm, she confirmed that it was found through studies that the appropriate number of pheromone traps, at a rate of two traps per hectare (one trap per 5 dunums), at a distance of 100 meters between each trap and another, and at a distance of 5 meters from the trunk The palm tree and in a shaded place during the middle of the day, taking into account that the shape of the distribution of the traps is in a zigzag shape and not in a row. As for the light traps, one per farm, and other traps can be added for farms containing 1000 palm trees or more.
The authority indicated that it applies an integrated strategy aimed at maintaining food and vital security in the farms of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, through the implementation of several programs concerned with the palm tree due to its strategic importance in preserving the environment and supporting food security, where the integrated management program for palm pests is applied in order to control them. In environmentally safe ways, reducing the economic damage of the pest, and preserving the ecosystem from the indiscriminate use of agricultural pesticides, to develop and sustain this strategic and vital sector.
Collective pest control
Obaid Al Mazrouei, owner of a farm, praised the efforts of the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority in combating palm weevil, stem borer and other pests, insects and epidemics that affect palm, which played a major role in raising awareness among farmers and contributed to raising the reputation and quality of Emirati dates, and reducing diseases.
He said that despite the efforts made by the authority, these efforts may be negatively affected or lost due to neglected farms, where their owners are lazy in taking care of them, which has made them a home for the proliferation of pests and insects harmful to palms, including mice and squirrels, which have recently appeared. He explained that the agricultural control process for palm pests implemented by the authority includes all farms.
He called for the necessity of collective control, in all regions of the emirate, not to leave any neglected farm, and to implement decisions and take measures against non-compliant and neglected farms, which do not apply the control programs approved by the authority, especially since the process of agricultural waste disposal in neglected farms is a reason to transfer Infection for committed farms, where workers and farm owners dispose of trees and trunks incorrectly, despite the presence of agricultural waste dumps that follow “recycling.” He said that farms that are interested in installing pheromone and light traps may be affected by neglected farms, and be a cause of transmission of infection due to the attraction of Insects turn to the light, and he also called for taking measures against dealers of cuttings or palms on the roads, as these shoots are carriers of eggs or insects, and those who do not have the experience may buy infected seedlings that cause the destruction of the farm.
Al Mazrouei also called for legalizing the transfer of shoots from farm to farm or from one region to another, except with the approval of the authority, and examining them before transferring them, ensuring that they are free of pests, and applying integrated control measures.
He identified three points to ensure the maximum possible benefit and to highlight the efforts of the authority in giving time to farm owners, preventing the transfer of shoots and palms except after the authority’s approval that they are free of diseases, setting up a mechanism for the transfer process and insects, and stopping random sales by workers or traders on the roads.
Intensification of campaigns
Engineer Hamad Al-Falasi stressed that there is an urgent need to intensify the campaigns to control agricultural pests in general, including the scourge of palm mites and spiders, to ensure that they do not spread and eliminate them. It is important with regard to control methods, and given the association of the Emirati people with date palms, there is a focus on protecting date palms and applying good agricultural practices and integrated control programs, and in the absence of interest from some farmers sometimes these efforts are affected, and therefore a long-term control of agricultural pests in general and palms in particular is necessary, even Pests are not transmitted from an infected farm to an uninfected farm.
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