Monday 25 / August / 2025
Salalah: A 3-day workshop on controlling the invasive growth of parthenium weed in the Governorate of Dhofar kicked off in Salalah today. The workshop, organized by Dhofar Municipality, brings together experts and specialists from the Sultanate of Oman and abroad.
The workshop explores the latest research findings and applied experiments in controlling the invasive growth of the weed locally and internationally.
It also looks into means of enhancing international cooperation to support the Sultanate of Oman's efforts to build national capacities and develop integrated environmental programmes in the field.
The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of Dr. Ahmed Mohsen Al Ghassani, Chairman of Dhofar Municipality.
The opening ceremony included a visual presentation on national efforts to address the challenges related to the growth of the parthenium weed and global risks posed by its spread. The presentation reviewed Dhofar Governorate's experience in carrying out programmes of parthenium weed control between 2020 and 2025.
Two working papers were delivered after the presentation. The first, titled "Regional Research Reports: Oman and the Middle East", dealt with the impact of parthenium on natural pastures in Dhofar Governorate. The second working paper outlined the role of environment-friendly allelopathic chemistry in controlling the growth and spread of parthenium.
The second day will include panel discussions about the biological and ecological nature of the parthenium weed, as well as reports about its presence in three regions: “India and South Asia”, “Australia and the Pacific” and “Africa and the Middle East”.
The third day of the workshop will include three discussion panels on biological control, non-biological control and the best practices in the Sultanate of Oman.
After the opening ceremony, Al Ghassani felicitated the speakers and the departments that supported the event.
