Views: 38 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2023-01-03 Origin: Site
To prevent the spread of the Dubas insect and red palm weevil in the wilayat of Barka, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources (MAFWR) and OQ have begun deploying drones to spray pesticides.
The Middle East's particular agroclimatic conditions, the type of crop grown there, and the movement of planting materials all contributed to the pest's quick spread.
The experiment, according to MAFWR, produced positive preliminary results, and as a result, it was decided to expand pesticide treatment in the upcoming months by "spraying larger areas using modern methods." The ministry believed that doing so would increase the effectiveness of spraying and help overcome some of the difficulties associated with combating the threat in Oman's remote areas.
According to the findings, the number of palm trees in Oman that are pest-infested has increased by 16.4%. Compared to the 19,278 trees reported to be diseased last year, there were 22,444 afflicted trees this year.
In 2022, field workers captured 50,312 red palm weevil insects using 3,867 traps, up from 42,915 in 2021.
According to the government, this year's red palm weevil infestation caused huge economic losses to the date plantation industry. A total loss of RO1.571 million resulted from the infestation of 22,444 date palms, while RO1.274 million was spent on tree treatment for 18,213 trees and RO296,170 was spent on the disposal of 4,231 diseased palms.
