What is it about?
The lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula Merck is one of the most important pests affect date palm fruits, which cause great losses to the yield, whether in quantity or quality. This study was conducted in Basra province / Al-Qurna district to study the effect of harmal plant seeds on the numerical density, percentage and severity of infection caused by lesser date moth on the date palm trees. The results showed that the highest number of lesser date moths’ population density was appeared in the fogging treatment (111.3 / trap), while the lowest was in the fumigation treatment (64.3 / trap). The lowest percentage of infection by lesser date moth was in the aqueous extract treatment of (29.7%), while the highest was in the fumigation treatment (31.4%). In the first period, the treatment of aqueous extract gave the best results, as the percentage of infection was (17.8%). The lowest rate of infection severity was also in the treatment of aqueous extract (2.2 / 5 fruit), while the highest was in the fogging treatment (6.5 / 5 fruit). In the third period, both treatments of fumigation and fogging gave the best results, as the infection severity was (0/5 fruit) compared to the control for the same period of (8.9 / 5 fruit). The treatment of aqueous extract gave the best results in reducing the severity of infection by lesser date moth, while the treatment of fogging gave the best results in reducing the number density of lesser date moth.
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Photo by Sami Lamqaddam on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Since the lesser date moth causes huge losses annually in the quantity and quality of Iraqi dates, in contrast the chemical pesticides that are used in controlling this pest are very expensive in addition to their harmful effect on the environment and public health. Therefore, it is very necessary to think about a safe and cheap way to control this pest and thus obtain high production and good quality. This study aimed to use the aqueous extract, fumigation and fogging of the seeds of Harmal plant to find out to what extent they can effect on the percentage and severity of infection by lesser date moth on dates of Al-Sayer variety, which is widely spread in Basra province.
Perspectives
The effect of harmal plant seeds on lesser date moth was evident through the results. Where the percentage of infection was reduced in the aqueous extract treatment (29.7%) and the fumigation treatment (31.4%) compared with the control treatment (38.9%). The lowest rate of infection severity was in the treatment of aqueous extract (2.2 / 5 fruit). In the third period, the two treatments of fumigation and fumigation gave the best results, as the infection severity was (0/5 fruit) compared to the control treatment for the same period (8.9 / 5 fruit). The study showed that the treatment of aqueous extract gave the best results in reducing the percentage of infection and the severity of infection caused by lesser date moth.
Dr. Mohammed Hussein Minati
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Effect of interaction between pheromone traps and plant seeds of harmal, Peganum harmala, on lesser date moth, Batrachedra amydraula (Merck), in Basra Province, IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science, April 2021, Institute of Physics Publishing,
DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/735/1/012025.
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