By Dr Vandana Jyotirmayee
Society needs individuals who can think creatively outside the box to tackle societal challenges, and such has been the story of two students from UTAS Salalah.
Afnan bint Yaqoub al Rawahiyah a business student, and Anfal bint Yaqoub al Rawahiyah, an IT student from UTAS Salalah, bagged the second place and were honoured by the Royal Army of Oman for an innovative project.
For the first time, these sisters have found a local and natural way to resist the infestation of the Dubas bugs in date plantations in the Sultanate of Oman. This bug, known as Ommatissus binotatus lybicus de Bergevine, sucks the date palm sap, weakening and killing date plants.
Dubas bugs are deadly for date plantations in the Sultanate of Oman, which produce almost 250 varieties of date palms. The bugs attack and destroy the fronds and fruits. So not just the Sultanate of Oman; these bugs are a threat in even places like Yemen, Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, and Tunisia.
Afnan and Anfal al Rawahi have innovated a chemical-free solution made by the locally available plants in the north of the Sultanate of Oman. Where chemical-based insecticides take three days to take effect, the chemical-free oil that Afnan and Anfal invented takes just 24 hours to show its effect. Moreover, the plant extracts used in the study proved effective in controlling the Dubas palm bugs with high extermination rates. Anfal al Rawahi said, “The results of experimenting with different concentrations of oils indicated the importance of producing insecticides from oil mixtures of low concentration and higher effectiveness in controlling the pest.”
Hailing from the city of Izki in the Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, while in school, Afnan and Anfal always found the families with date plantations worrying about the infestation of the Dubas bug. These bugs have two generations infesting in Spring and autumn, causing severe concerns to those who own date farms. In addition, these bugs secrete a sticky substance that harms dates.
The sisters started to work on this research project in 2016. Gradually they expanded the number of plants used for different methods of experimentation and extraction. Later their project got new wings as they attended workshops from the department of Agriculture and scientific research and experimented in labs of the Biological control research section for over a month. They were provided access to Sultan Qaboos University’s labs and the Agricultural Insects’ Research Department at the Plant Protection Research Centre. They experimented on the insect’s nymph and adult stages by spraying and watering the plants with a high concentration of the extracts. UTAS Salalah provided students with a suitable platform for showcasing their talent and honing their communication and presentation skills.
When asked how they felt about the recognition and honour, Afnan said there was still a lot to experiment with for eliminating such insects and replacing chemicals with natural products for good production of dates. Regarding their future research, Afnan thoughtfully said, “We need to study the extract’s effect on honey bees as they are also very near to the trees. We can facilitate plant extract production, but we need companies to support and invest in that. “
The scientific club competition ceremony, where Afnan and Anfal were honoured, was held at Al Murtafaa Camp in Muscat Governorate under the auspices of Major General Matar bin Salim al Balushi, Commander of the Royal Army of Oman.
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