ABU DHABI // An agricultural organisation has distributed more than 14,000 light traps to save Abu Dhabi date palm trees and eliminate pests.
The Abu Dhabi Farmers' Services Centre started the project three years ago to replace the pesticide sprays previously used.
The efforts are part of the centre’s programme for date palm trees, through which it works with 14,300 farms in the emirate.
The light traps use 150-watt lamps and are made of galvanised iron. They target fruit stalk and stem boring insects that damage date palm trees, the centre said on Tuesday.
Attracted to the light at night, the insects fall into water inside the trap. The traps are lit from dusk until dawn.
The centre distributed 4,000 traps in the Western Region, more than 1,400 in Al Rahba farming area, 600 in Al Khatum and 8,000 in Al Ain.
It also distributed pheromone traps to eliminate red palm weevils, beetles not native to the UAE whose larvae tunnel inside the trees.
The light traps were selected because they are non-damaging, said Jonathan Bradford, the centre’s spokesman.
“They were spraying across a wide area, and that was taking out the palm weevil,” he said.
“But it was also taking out the natural enemies of the palm weevils, so the actual volume of the palm weevil was rising.”
The light-trap campaign is to continue until all emirate farms are covered, as part of the centre’s Date Palm Services Contract. The contract ensures that traps are distributed through the farmers centre and extension centres once every five years.
“The Date Palm Services Contract between the centre and local farmers offers a number of services in the integrated management of date palms, which contributes to the continual improvement of the date palms in the emirate,” said Christopher Hirst, chief executive of the centre.
“Pest control is an important aspect of this improvement, creating a better product that meets and exceeds international standards.”
The centre provides technical and operational support services to farmers, according to its website.
It was created by Law 4 of 2009, issued by the President, Sheikh Khalifa, to work towards agricultural reform.
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