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Abstract

The date palm moth (Batrachedra amydraula meyrick) is one of the worst pests that can hurt date palm crops, especially in Iraq. The goal of this study is to create eco-friendly and highly effective nano-pesticides to keep the date palm moth away from crops. This will reduce chemical residues and protect the crops with natural, encapsulated alternatives. This study was carried out in the Saqlawiyah region of Anbar Governorate, focusing on the Khastawi date palm variety, which is vulnerable to infestation by the date palm moth (Batrachedra amydraula). Several insecticides were used, including nano-pesticides and encapsulated pesticides such as Calotrops procera and Lantana camara, in addition to some chemical pesticides such as oxymethrin, deltamethrin, the systemic pesticide isatapride, and an NPK mixture with seaweed. The results showed relative efficacy of 81.8%, 79.2%, 79.1%, 72.4%, 72.1%, and 71.1% for the treatments (lantana, oxymethrin, deltamethrin, calotropis, isatapride, and an NPK mixture with seaweed), respectively. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of nano-extracts of lantana and calotropis (at concentrations of 45 and 30 ppm) as natural and economical alternatives for controlling palm pests, especially when enhanced with marine nutrients and fertilizer compounds to improve production quality.

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