Abu Dhabi (Etihad)
The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority called on farmers and livestock breeders in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to follow a set of necessary practices and guidelines to ensure the safety of agricultural production and livestock, after the end of the weather fluctuations that the country witnessed recently.
The Authority has allocated a set of tips and instructions that must be applied on farms immediately after weather fluctuations end and rain and winds stop, in addition to other tips to ensure the safety of livestock on farms. With regard to soil management and maintenance of irrigation networks on farms, the Authority recommended the necessity of working to drain water from the cultivated areas immediately after the end of the rains, then direct irrigation to wash the crops and get rid of the salts that have accumulated around them, with the importance of taking care to use fertilizers to compensate for any deficiency in nutrients. Without excessive use that may harm the crops. It also recommended testing the efficiency of the irrigation network, performing maintenance on parts damaged by weather fluctuations, and constructing channels to drain stagnant water to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
Crop protection
As for farms irrigated through collective irrigation networks, the Authority called on farmers to verify that the lines transporting water are intact and have not been broken, as well as to ensure the safety of tanks, to ensure the preservation of the quantities of water received from the collective irrigation network, and to communicate with them via the hotline of the communication office. Abu Dhabi Government (800555) In the event of an interruption in the water supply to the farm, or notice of damage to the water lines as a result of weather fluctuations, damage to the stations, which affects the quantities of water available to the farm.
Regarding the necessary measures to protect crops and prevent pests and diseases, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority advises spraying crops with copper compounds, and fruit trees with calcium compounds, after the effects of rain water have disappeared, in order to avoid fungal infections. It also advises postponing the harvesting, picking and collecting operations of fruits, especially vegetables, until they dry, to ensure that they do not become infected with rot, with the necessity of inspecting tubers in tuber crops, including potatoes, to ensure their safety and exclude damaged ones, and to apply preventive measures if necessary.
The Authority advised farm owners to take the initiative to re-plan crops, whether by patching plants (replanting) if the cultivation is recent, or postponing summer crop cultivation until the effects of rain have ended, and ensuring that weather fluctuations have ended.
Livestock protection
As for livestock breeders, the Authority has prepared a set of guidelines that must be followed to protect livestock after the end of weather fluctuations, including quickly cleaning the estate well from accumulated rain residues, getting rid of pools of water, drying the floors of the barns, and getting rid of flying objects caused by wind and rain. It is also preferable to spray the floors with a substance such as inflorescences or agricultural sulfur, as well as clean the feeders and drinking troughs, dispose of spoiled feed due to rain, and put clean drinking water in the barns.
The Authority also recommends the necessity of moving animals to dry pens and keeping them in open pens during the day, taking into account isolating animals that have been wet by rainwater, monitoring their health condition, providing vitamins and amino acids to the whole herd to enhance the animals’ immunity, and uncovering covered grass after the end of weather fluctuations and exposing them to sunlight. Sun and air to draw moisture from them, as well as getting rid of spoiled fodder so that it does not affect the rest of the fodder that was not spoiled, and ensuring the suitability of fodder and grass provided for feeding animals after weather fluctuations, taking into account increasing the quantities of fodder with high nutritional value by at least 10-20% during the period. Two weeks, after the weather fluctuations have passed, and providing vitamins, especially vitamin C, for 3 days a week, to relieve stress on animals and raise their immunity.
The authority concluded by emphasizing the necessity of preventing grazing until the weather returns to its normal state, and called on farm and farm owners to review agricultural extension centers or veterinary clinics in the event of need for technical assistance from extension engineers or veterinarians affiliated with them, as extension centers and veterinary clinics spread across the country operate. The various regions of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi are committed to providing specialized technical guidance and advice to farmers and livestock breeders, ensuring the protection of plants and livestock herds from climate change, so that agricultural crops are not affected or livestock are exposed to life-threatening damage.
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