Jeddah, Jan. 13, 2023, SPA -- The research team of the optometry lab, an affiliate of King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST), was awarded the Palm Dates Technological and Innovation Excellence prize 2022, extended by the National Centre for Palms and Dates during the 3rd International Palm Dates Conference and Exhibition. In a press release, KAUST revealed that the research which was honored today is an optic-fiber-operated remote audio device that contributes to early discovery of the red palm weevil, a source of a long-lived problem facing palm trees in the Middle East, South East Asia, Europe and other parts of the world. The research comes in line with the Kingdom's vision 2030, said the report. With around 33 million palm trees which produce some one million tons of dates annually, Saudi Arabia occupies the world's second place as a palm tree producer, the report said, adding that nearly eight million US dollars is annually spent to alleviate the proliferation of the palm tree weevil in the Middle East. --SPA 16:01 LOCAL TIME 13:01 GMT 0011 www.spa.gov.sa/w1839452