How Abu Dhabi is protecting the UAE’s ‘national treasure’ date palm from pests

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) is currently implementing an integrated approach to strengthen biosecurity systems across the emirate in terms of animal and plant health.

In addition, the Authority is implementing several programs to manage agricultural pests, such as the Integrated Palm Pest Management Programme. The program controls palm tree pests in an environmentally friendly manner, adhering to integrated pest management guidelines.

It can also minimize economic losses caused by pests, reduce environmental pollution, and protect ecosystems by avoiding the abuse of pesticides.

These programs address the most serious palm pests, such as the red palm weevil, long horn borer, fruit stem borer, date moth and date palm dust mite. This is to protect the National Treasure Palms due to their strategic importance in the emirate’s cultural heritage. Additionally, protecting palm trees and controlling pests is critical to supporting food security, protecting ecosystems and enhancing the date palm production process.

ADAFSA employs an integrated pest management approach that combines economic and environmental practices to sustainably manage harmful pests and insects to reduce risk to crops. With regard to palm trees, an integrated pest management approach outlines a series of preventive measures to protect trees from pest infestation. These measures are designed to tackle pest problems before they reach a critical stage, thereby minimizing the need to use pesticides or remove infested trees.

ADAFSA went a step further by developing an emergency response plan for agricultural epidemics, an important part of the biosecurity system the agency aims to establish. The program aims to promote plant health and effectively control pests and plant pathogens on farms in Abu Dhabi, thereby supporting the sustainable development of the emirate’s agricultural sector. The efforts of these agencies have raised the status of the UAE and Abu Dhabi among the countries best prepared to deal with agricultural pests. The Authority remains committed to adopting best agricultural practices and the latest innovations in the agricultural sector.

In addition to regular surveys to monitor agricultural pests on farms across the emirate, ADAFSA also provides awareness and training on necessary agricultural practices that help reduce pest infestation. In addition, the Authority has established a database of major agricultural pests in the region. It publishes the Register of Agricultural Pests as an important scientific reference and guide to help researchers and farmers identify pests that pose a threat to farms and understand effective ways to control them.

ADAFSA works to promote the use of biological control systems to control agricultural pests, reduce reliance on chemical pesticides and protect the environment.

Agricultural quarantine is considered the main means of combating agricultural pests as it involves the implementation of legislative measures and protocols to regulate the movement of agricultural materials and prevent the spread of pests to non-infested areas. It also aims to control and prevent the spread of agricultural pests, weeds and pathogens in affected areas that may threaten the quality of agricultural production.

In addition, ADAFSA has a state-of-the-art laboratory and three research stations for thorough examination and diagnosis of agricultural pests in the open field and in the greenhouse. The resulting data is used for control planning and selection of pest and disease resistant plant varieties for optimal productivity of crops.

ADAFSA recently organized a workshop to mark International Plant Health Day (12 May). The symposium, entitled “The Importance of Agricultural Legislation in Support of Plant Protection Systems,” aimed to raise awareness of the important role of agricultural legislation in promoting plant health and protecting crops from pests and diseases. Abu Dhabi.

The workshop reviewed plant health policies and regulations, including the Agriculture and Food Policy 2012, to prevent and control plant pests and diseases. These include the Agriculture and Food Policy 2012, which includes preventive measures and policies for the control of plant diseases and farm pests. Based on the above policy, many decisions have been made to prevent the spread and invasion of agricultural pests.

The workshop also reviewed Decision No. 3 of 2020, which sets out the agricultural requirements for farms in Abu Dhabi. The resolution requires farmers to report any disease or agricultural pest on their farms to ADAFSA. It also includes programs to control dangerous pests, such as the Integrated Palm Pest Management Program.