AL AIN, May 18th, WAM / The College of Food and Agriculture at the United Arab Emirates University signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the "Code Three Fourteen Technology LLC", to enhance the pollination process of date palms using the advanced technology "artificial insemination of date palms with drones".
The memorandum was signed in the college building on the university campus, in the presence of Dr. Muhammad Salem Al-Yafei, Vice Dean and Vice Dean, Mohammad Al-Moosa - General Director of the "Code Three Fourteen Company," Ahmed Abulhoul Al Falasi - Commercial Director, and a number of faculty members.
The MOU aims to strengthen research cooperation between the UAE University and the company in the field of developing date palm production in the UAE.
This research project, led by Dr. Zainab Ahmed - Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Agriculture, College of Food and Agriculture, in partnership with Dr. Mohammad Al-Yafei, and Dr. Abdullah Al-Dakhil, Director of Research Farms at the College, aims to develop the date palm pollination process using advanced technology known as “artificial insemination of date palm technology Phoenix Dactylifera L /, by using an automatic pollination system installed on a platform / drone /. This method will save the use of labor to pollinate palm trees and also save time and effort, as the drone can pollinate 200 palm trees in 10 minutes without the need for any labor and this is by developing electronic programs especially for this process.
This technique is considered the fastest and best method of pollination in the agricultural field so far, and the results of this research can be generalized to different palm plantations inside and outside the UAE, in addition to the possibility of its application in the field of fertilization and resistance to insects harmful to economic crops such as the red palm weevil, which is considered the biggest enemy palm production in the country.
Dr. Muhammad Salem Al-Yafei explained that the signing of the memorandum of understanding comes to reinforce the strategic and research partnerships aimed at developing scientific research in the fields of using advanced technology in agriculture, especially in the field of developing the productivity of palm trees in the country.
He added that the college seeks to transfer the latest technology, modern scientific techniques, and knowledge of special applications and skills to its students to be qualified to deal with the environment in the UAE and enhance their scientific and applied skills, especially since palm trees have become as a result of special care, and the use of modern technologies more productive and efficient in combating desertification facing environmental and climatic changes.
For his part, Ahmed Al Falasi, the commercial director of the company, indicated that this cooperation with the United Arab Emirates University to develop the process of pollinating date palms using advanced technology is the fruit of the efforts made by both parties, especially since we have conducted many experiments in scientific research centers, UAE University farms, and many farms. The results were distinguished in the development of palm trees, and the applications of modern technology to contribute effectively to enhancing the state's efforts to achieve food security.