سؤال اليوم — اختبار STEP

Read the passage and answer the question. (1) For thousands of years, the date palm has been central to life in the Arabian Peninsula. Its fruit provided a nutritious food that could be stored for months without spoiling, its leaves were woven into baskets and mats, and its trunk was used in building. Today, Saudi Arabia is among the world's largest producers of dates, with tens of millions of palm trees and hundreds of varieties, from the soft Sukkari to the dark Ajwa. (2) Growing dates, however, is demanding work. A palm needs plenty of water at its roots even though it does well in hot, dry air. Female trees must usually be pollinated by hand, because farmers keep only a few male trees, and the fruit has to be thinned, protected and harvested at exactly the right stage. In addition, the red palm weevil, an insect whose young eat the inside of the trunk, can destroy a tree before any damage is visible from outside. (3) Technology is now changing how farmers meet these challenges. Sensors buried in the soil measure moisture and send the data to farmers' phones, so that drip irrigation can be switched on only when the roots actually need water. This approach can cut water use considerably compared with traditional flooding of the fields. Similarly, some farms are testing drones that spray pollen over female trees, saving many hours of climbing. (4) Protecting palms from the weevil has also become more scientific. Acoustic sensors placed against the trunk can detect the faint sound of the insects feeding inside, allowing early treatment. Laboratories, moreover, produce young palms through tissue culture, ensuring that new trees are free of disease and true to their variety. (5) These innovations do not replace the knowledge passed down by generations of farmers. Rather, they build on it, helping an ancient crop remain productive in a region where water is increasingly precious. Question: According to paragraph 3, how do soil sensors help farmers?