The slides are about the cultivation techniques of Arabian date palm to provide primary knowledge to the interested people to grow the palm in small scale farm or backyard.

1. 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

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

3. Introduction
The date palm Phonex dactylifera is today a
major fruit crop in its original homeland Iraq, as
well as in a number of other countries where it
has been introduced for commercial production.
Over millennia, from Mesopotamia, the date palm
has been carried in all directions in an historical
process of diaspora that continues today.
Bangladesh is a potential country for introduction
of the fruit as evidences are available and it has
religious importance among the people too. Many
people are interested to cultivate this fruit all over
the world. This presentation is a brief of
cultivation practices for the people with primary
knowledge on date palm production.

4. Climate
The date palm grows in subtropical
and arid regions. The optimal growing
temperature is 32°C. Temperatures
below 7°C or above 45°C will arrest
the tree’s growth processes. Fruit set
will occur only if the temperature is
above 13°C. A commercial yield is
possible only if there is a long hot
period of around 32°C. Rains during
harvest season are damaging the yield
of most date varieties.

5. Soil
Dates grow in various types of soil:
light, medium and heavy, but require
good drainage and air penetration
into the soil. Date palms are resistant
to alkaline soil. Irrigation with saline
water is detrimental to the vegetative
growth potential and reduces yield
size and quality. Date palm is tolerant
to soil salinity of up to 4dsm-l.

6. Varieties
About 1500 varieties are in existence. In
Iraq alone there are about 630 varieties,
but the main varieties grown there are
Zahdi, comprising about 43% of the total
yield. Other local varieties in Iraq include
Halawi and Khadrawi. The main variety
in North Africa is Deglet, while in
California it’s Deglet Noor and Zahdi.
The Medjoul variety is considered to be
of superior quality in both regions and
elsewhere. However, selection of variety
depended on the location where the crop
will grow.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Seedling production from date
palm seeds
Germinated seeds
Young plants
Potted plant
Ready seedling Seeds in the seedbed Seedlings in plastic
bags

10. 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

11. 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

12. Detachment, care and plantation of offshoot
Offshoots grown
Planted offshoots
Detachment of Offshoots
Offshoot aftercare

13. 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

14. Tissue culture date palm saplings
Tissue culture saplings
Tissue culture saplings
in green house

15. Guidelines and Tips for the
Cultivation of Tissue
Culture-Derived Date Palm
Trees
by
United Arab Emirates University
Date Palm Development Research Unit Dept.
Date Palm Tissue Culture Laboratory (DPTCL)

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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:

28. Pollen extraction from male flower and pollination
Extraction of pollen Pollen container
Cotton balls with pollen
Placement of cotton balls
or strand of male flower Placed cotton ball
Covering spadix with
paper bags

29. 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

30. 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.