Cultivation Practice of Arabian

Date Palm P. dactylifera in Brief

Editor:

Md. Nazim Uddin Mondal

Former Associate Scientist-Extension Agronomy,

International Rice Research Institute, (IRRI) and Deputy Director Agriculture Extension, Bangladesh

Email: nazim.mondal@gmail.com

WELLCOME

Baby, sleep peacefully we are working for your future food security!

Introduction

The date palm Phonex dactylifera is today amajor fruit crop in its original homeland Iraq, aswell as in a number of other countries where ithas been introduced for commercial production.Over millennia, from Mesopotamia, the date palmhas been carried in all directions in an historicalprocess of diaspora that continues today.Bangladesh is a potential country for introductionof the fruit as evidences are available and it hasreligious importance among the people too. Manypeople are interested to cultivate this fruit all overthe world. This presentation is a brief ofcultivation practices for the people with primaryknowledge on date palm production.

ClimateThe date palm grows in subtropicaland arid regions. The optimal growingtemperature is 32°C. Temperaturesbelow 7°C or above 45°C will arrestthe tree’s growth processes. Fruit setwill occur only if the temperature isabove 13°C. A commercial yield ispossible only if there is a long hotperiod of around 32°C. Rains duringharvest season are damaging the yieldof most date varieties.

Soil

Dates grow in various types of soil:light, medium and heavy, but requiregood drainage and air penetrationinto the soil. Date palms are resistantto alkaline soil. Irrigation with salinewater is detrimental to the vegetativegrowth potential and reduces yieldsize and quality. Date palm is tolerantto soil salinity of up to 4dsm-l.

VarietiesAbout 1500 varieties are in existence. InIraq alone there are about 630 varieties,but the main varieties grown there areZahdi, comprising about 43% of the totalyield. Other local varieties in Iraq includeHalawi and Khadrawi. The main varietyin North Africa is Deglet, while inCalifornia it’s Deglet Noor and Zahdi.The Medjoul variety is considered to beof superior quality in both regions andelsewhere. However, selection of varietydepended on the location where the cropwill grow.

Propagation by Seed

Saplings can be propagated by seed, but

this is not practical. Trees from seed will

start producing yields after 6-10 years. In

addition, 50% of the trees will be male

which are non-productive. Propagation by

seed is impractical as both male and

female palms result and are only

distinguishable by farmers at flowering.

Moreover, there will be many variations in

flowering and fruit qualities.

Propagation by seed Cont:

Seed selected from elite cultivars may be

planted in plastic bags in the nursery. During

the monsoon, seedlings should be

transplanted to the field at a spacing of 7-8 m

between rows and 1 m between plants.

Adjacent rows should have alternate sowings.

At sexual maturity, male plants are moved,

maintaining 3-5% males. The best fruiting

females should be selected. This method of

propagation involves a high cost in terms of

time, manpower and money.

Seedling production from date

palm seeds

Germinated seeds

Young plants

Potted plant

Ready seedling Seeds in the seedbed Seedlings in plastic

bags

Offshoot propagation is asexual

or vegetative propagation,

offers the following advantages:

Offshoot plants are true to type

to the parent palm. The

offshoots develop from auxiliary

buds on the trunk of the mother

plant and consequently the fruit

produced will be of the same

quality as the mother palm and

ensures uniformity of produce.

The offshoot plant will bear

fruits 2 - 3 years earlier than

seedlings . A young date palm

can produce from 3 suckers a

year (Barhee) up to 30

(Medjoul).

Propagation of date palm by Off-shoot

Source:

http://www.icarda.org/APRP/Datepa

lm/introduction/intro-body.htm

Offshoots

The hole for the offshoot should be dug only deep enough

to accommodate it. Most of the trunk should be left above

the ground so the plant will not sink deeper into the soil. A

basin should be created 6 to 12 inches deep and 4 to 6 feet

wide, with the offshoot planted in the center. The soil needs

to be kept moist at all times. For the first year of its life, the

newly planted offshoot needs protection from summer sun

and wind and winter cold. Leave the offshoot tied up for

protection until new green leaves appear. If the offshoot has

been pre-rooted in a nursery container, simply plant it at the

same depth as it is in the container. If offshoots are

purchased from a nursery, find out how long they have been

in the containers. They should be six months to a year old.

Offshoots taken near the ground with good care have a

95% to 100% survival rate (Next slide)

Plantation technique of date palm offshoot

Detachment, care and plantation of offshoot

Offshoots grown

Planted offshoots

Detachment of Offshoots

Offshoot aftercare

Advantages of Date Palm Tissue Culture Plants:

Required cultivars are available on demand around the

year in large numbers including the international with

reasonable prices.

Free from devastating pests such as RPW and diseases

such as Decline disease.

Healthy and early crop within 1-2 years where growing

rapidly in the open field.

It is easy to be transferred from a place to another in terms

of volume, weight and health status.

High survival percentage after cultivation in open field may

reach to 100% due to the complete roots.

Large quantity planned plantations simultaneously with

uniform growth . (Next slide)

Propagation of Date Palm from Tissue

Culture Saplings

Tissue culture date palm saplings

Tissue culture saplings

Tissue culture saplings

in green house

Guidelines and Tips for the

Cultivation of Tissue

Culture-Derived Date Palm

Treesby

United Arab Emirates University

Date Palm Development Research Unit Dept.

Date Palm Tissue Culture Laboratory (DPTCL)

Preparations Prior to Planting Tissue

Culture-Derived Date Palm Trees Recommended that to use a square planting system (7×7), (8×8) or

(7×8) taking into consideration the variety, type of soil and the

climate (specifically the humidity). Prepare the necessary planting

holes for the palm trees with dimensions no smaller than 75×75×75

cm. It is suggested that the hole is left exposed to the sun and air

for a few days to eliminate possible harmful microorganisms.

Planting hole

Mix soil with a chosen manure (it is recommended to use

thermally treated organic manure that shows good solubility).

The topsoil should be collected, put aside and used in the

preparation of the planting mixture which will be placed at the

bottom of the planting hole. The planting mixture is prepared

by mixing the topsoil with a mixture of 1 part sand and 1 part

alluvium .

Manure and fertilizing planting hole

Filling planting hole

The height of the date palms, which the growers receive from

the laboratory, should range from 35 to 40 cm. Each tree should

have about 4 to 5 branches including the three leaves, known

as the original leaves and should have a strong root system

which is suitable for growth.

The steps below should be followed for the planting process:

The plastic bag should be cut open from the base first, to

ensure the safety and integrity of the root system

Planting of date palm saplings

Preparing sapling for planting after removal of plastic bag

The date palm should be placed in the planting hole with extra

care, ensuring that the core of the tree (the grown top) is

slightly below the soil surface (approximately 25 to 30 cm), and

should be positioned vertically but slightly tilted towards the

opposite direction of the wind.

Planting of date palm saplings

Placing sapling in planting hole

The soil should then be pressed tightly around the tree to

eliminate any air pockets around the root system, which

might lead to its decay. The golden rule to planting a date

palm is to ensure that the wide diameter of the trees’ base

(onion- or fig-shape) is placed at the soil level and that the

irrigation water does not come into contact with the central

heart of the tree.

Planting of date palm saplings

Placing saplings in hole and earth filling

The date palm trees should be surrounded with a fence and

covered with plastic or bale nets or other available materials to

protect it from harsh climate factors (sun and wind during its

first summer and through the cold of the first winter) and

foraging animals such as rabbits and other rodents.

Planting of date palm saplings

Planted and fenced date palm sapling

Irrigation

The date palm trees must be irrigated daily in a consistent manner

for an initial period of 40 days, taking into account the type of soil

and avoiding flooding of the heart of the tree. Care must be taken

to wet the soil around the tree to the same consistency each time

and not leave it too wet or dry.

- After the first initial period of 40 days (after the date of planting),

irrigation of the tree may be reduced to two or three times a week

for the next two months (if the type of land and the climate of the

area allows it).

- After the third year since planting the trees, each date palm

irrigation bed should be widened to have a diameter similar to the

diameter of the extent of the branches.

Date Palm Tree Protection and

Post-planting Care

Offshoots Management:It is recommended to leave only 3 to 4 offshoots (equally spaced)

attached to the tree and to remove extra offshoots in order to give

the date palm enough space for good growth and expansion. Soil

must be covered well with dust at the site of offshoot cutting and a

good pesticide should be used to protect the date palm from

infection with hynchophorus ferrugineus (Red Palm Weevil) or any

other harmful pests.

Removal of flower:It is recommended to remove the spadix (spike) during the first and

second year after planting, in order to allow the tree to grow

naturally and develop a strong and dense trunk.

Date Palm Tree Protection and

Post-planting Care

It is recommended that thermally treated organic manure is

applied one year after planting the trees (i.e. at the start of the

second year), applying it as follow:

5 kg / tree: 2nd year

10 kg / tree: 3rd year

15 kg / tree: 4th year

20 kg / tree: 5th year

25 kg / tree: 6th year

This treatment programme is to be fixed until the tenth year, in

addition to applying an annual compound chemical fertilizer,

containing 100 g Nitrogen, 75 g Phosphorous and 100 g

Potassium per date palm. However, this recommendation varies

according to recommendation guide of the particular country

where to grow the crop.

Fertilizer recommendation for date palm

Natural pollination of date palm

Phoenix palms are diocious plant which means that male and

female flower grow in separate tree and most of them are cross-

pollinated. Cross pollination is possible between Arabian date

palm P. dactylifera and Indian sugar date palm P. sylvestris

Khajur in Bengali.

Female P.dactylifera Tree

& flowers

Male P.dactylifera

Tree & flowers

Male P. sylvestris

Tree & flowers

Possible pollination

Within a short time, the female flowers begin to open and it is

time to pollinate them. If the armament of large thorns at the

base of the fronds near the female blooms has not been

previously removed during winter clean up, this is the time to

do so. When pollinating the date tree, one should wear

protective clothing, especially eye protection. Remove the

armament and begin the thinning process by removing the

center of the flower spike.

Technique of artificial pollination of

date palm

Thinning of flower spike

Removal of large thornsPollination tools

Once this is completed, either a strand of male flowers or

one or two cotton balls about the size of a walnut that

contain pollen are placed in the center opening of the

flower spike that was formed while thinning. Next a rubber

band or twine is used to close the spike, forming a cage

around the cotton balls. With careful pollination, it is

estimated that 50% to 80% of the flowers will set fruit. If a

male tree is not available, pollen dusted cotton balls can

be obtained from commercial growers. Because most

Phoenix palms cross-pollinate, another alternative would

be to use pollen from other Phoenix palms, such as

Phoenix sylvestris.The pollinated spadix (spike) should be

covered with paper bags for about one or two weeks, to

prevent foreign external pollination (Next slide)

Technique of pollination of date palm Cont:

Pollen extraction from male flower and pollination

Extraction of pollen Pollen containerCotton balls with pollen

Placement of cotton balls

or strand of male flower Placed cotton ballCovering spadix with

paper bags

Step 1

Wrap the date bunches once they reach yellow or red in color so

that any early ripening dates are caught before they fall to the

ground.

Step 2

Cut down the bunch once most of the dates have darkened and

begun turning brown. Cut through the thick stalk that holds the

strands of fruit to the tree with a pruning saw.

Step 3

Hold the date bunch over a large tub and shake it vigorously.

Remove any ripe dates from the netting and place these in the

tub.

Step 4

Pick the remaining unripened dates from the strands and spread

these out in a single layer on a tray or in a shallow box. Place the

box in a warm area that does not receive direct sunlight.

Harvesting of date palm

Let there be Arabian date palm

on the banks of our dying rivers

as a source of food!

Thanks!Acknowledgements: The author is grateful to the authors and photographers for using their materials in the ppt.