The Protection of Trees from Pests

 Written by: Mir Aqa Etebar

Some gardeners protect their fruit trees from pests at the beginning of the autumn but some others remember their trees during fruit time and that is the time that pests destroy trees and fruits and the gardeners face loss.

AEPO’s writer/producer has talked to some gardeners and an agricultural expert about this issue.

A gardener, Abdul Bashir, a resident of Kalakan district, Kabul province says: “I have peach, apple, and cherry trees but they have been infecting with the disease every year during the fruit. A kind of worm found in the bark of trees. These worms prevent the trees from yields and cause the trees to be dried. Last year I faced 70 thousand Afghanis loss due to this disease.”

Iqbal, a resident of Qarabagh district, Kabul province says: “I have a vineyard and it has about 700 vines. A small worm causes drying the leaves of the vines. I applied different varieties of medicines but those medicines did not affect. Before I was taking about 250 thousand Afghanis benefit from my garden but now I can get just 80 thousand Afghanis.”

An agricultural expert, Abdul Samad Kamavi talks about this pests: “When the weather gets warmer in the summer, pests, and insects which are hidden in the garden, start their routine life. They feed on the roots, stems, leaves, and fruits of the trees and cause to spoil tons of fruits yearly. If the gardeners do not keep off the worms and insects of the fruit trees, the trees might dry.”

What do gardeners think about the causes of pests of fruit trees?

Abdul Bashir says: “I do not know anything about trees aphids and no agricultural expert told me yet about it.”

Kamavi says: “If the gardeners do not take care of their trees before the winter and if they do not apply the medicines for this purpose, the insects would destroy the roots, stems, leaves and fruits in the summer.”

How gardeners protect their fruit trees from pests?

A gardener, Muneer says: “Some gardeners sprayed urea fertilizer solution on their fruit trees last year but I do not know about the result of it yet.”

Kamavi confirms Muneer’s saying and he adds that spraying of urea fertilizer solution on the roots, trunk, stems and other parts of the tree, could eliminate the pests of fruit trees.”