The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has started an aerial spraying campaign to combat the dubas palm bug for the spring season 2022 in some governorates of the Sultanate of Oman, with the aim of gradually eliminating the pest and reducing its effects on palm trees and environmental crops.
Dubas bug is considered one of the very dangerous pests that causes severe damage to palms in the Sultanate of Oman and a large number of countries. Damage from the pest occurs as a result of feeding nymphs and insects on plant sap and secreting honey on leaves and fruits. The control work must continue, otherwise the honeydew secreted by the insect will completely destroy the fruits and plantations, in addition to the wilting of the fruits by absorption, according to the experts at the ministry.
The aerial spray campaign comes within the framework of the continuous efforts made by the ministry in the field of combating the dubas pest and the continuation of the annual programme implemented by the ministry to reduce the economic damage caused by the insect. In many cases, this damage exceeds the date palm crop to other crops planted between and around the date palms, and for this reason the ministry has over the past years and is still making great efforts to eradicate this pest. The ministry calls on citizens and farmers to adhere to the ministry’s instructions regarding the daily programme of the villages in which aerial spraying operations will be carried out, and to take the necessary precautions with regard to drinking water sources, animal feed and honeybee hives, and to keep children and animals away from spraying sites.
The campaign will continue till April 11. The first campaign of aerial spraying works by plane was implemented in North Al Sharqiyah Governorate from April 7 to 11. The work of the second phase begins in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate from April 8 to 12.
Farmers praise the efforts of the Ministry Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in the field of control, awareness and guidance, realising that one of the reasons for the spread of the pest is the transfer of infected palm shoots by some farmers to other healthy villages, in addition to the neglect of some farmers and the lack of cleanliness of palm trees and care for them in terms of fertilisation.
Every year, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources’ prevention apparatus prepares a project to combat the dubas bug in the Sultanate of Oman. The project aims to protect palm trees from the most important pest, the dubas bug, which the ordinary farmer cannot resist with his own effort, in order to preserve the most important agricultural crops, which represent the largest part of the agricultural income, which is considered one of the two halves of the national income of the Sultanate of Oman.
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