Date Palm Cultivation

FAO
PLANT
PRODUCTION
AND PROTECTION
PAPER

156
Rev. 1


Table of Contents

Edited and compiled by
Abdelouahhab Zaid
Chief Technical Adviser/Director
UNOPS - Date Palm Research & Development Programme
United Arab Emirates

Coordinated by
E.J. Arias-Jiménez
Agricultural Officer
Horticultural Crops Group
Crop and Grassland Service
FAO Plant Production and Protection Division

Produced within the framework of the Date Production
Support Programme in Namibia FAO-UTF/NAM/004/NAM

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 2002

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

ISSN 0259-2517
ISBN 92-5-104863-0

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to the Chief, Publishing Management Service, Information Division, FAO, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy or by e-mail to [email protected]

© FAO 2002


Table of Contents


Foreword

Preface

Presentation

List of common abbreviations and signs

Chapter I: BOTANICAL AND SYSTEMATIC DESCRIPTION OF THE DATE PALM

1. Introduction
2. Systematic distribution
3. Botanical description

Chapter II: ORIGIN, GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION AND NUTRITIONAL VALUES OF DATE PALM

1. Origin of date palm
2. Geographical distribution of date palm
3. Date nutritional value
4. Date products

Chapter III: THE ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF DATE PRODUCTION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE

1. World production and trade
2. Date exports
3. Date imports
4. European markets

Chapter IV: CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS OF DATE PALM

1. Temperature requirements
2. Rain effect
3. Air relative humidity
4. Wind
5. Light

Chapter V: DATE PALM PROPAGATION

1. Introduction
2. Seed propagation
3. Offshoot propagation
4. Tissue culture propagation
5. Acclimatisation and hardening-off of tissue culture-produced date plants

Chapter VI: LAND PREPARATION, PLANTING OPERATION AND FERTILISATION REQUIREMENTS

I. Land preparation
II. Planting operation
III. Fertilisation requirements

Chapter VII: DATE PALM IRRIGATION

1. Introduction
2. Factors infl uencing water requirements
3. Different irrigation techniques
4. Methods for calculating date palm water requirements
5. Leaching
6. Scheduling
7. Layout of date palm orchard and irrigation

Chapter VIII: POLLINATION AND BUNCH MANAGEMENT

I. Pollination
II. Fruit thinning

Chapter IX: DATE HARVESTING, PACKINGHOUSE MANAGEMENT AND MARKETING ASPECTS

1. Introduction
2. Harvesting considerations
3. Facilities and process
4. Harvesting and packaging consideration for some important commercial date varieties
5. Other date palm products and by-products
6. Packinghouse management and quality standards

Chapter X: ESTABLISHMENT OF A MODERN DATE PLANTATION

1. Introduction
2. Technical establishment of a date plantation
3. Financial establishment of a date palm plantation

Chapter XI: DATE PALM TECHNICAL CALENDAR

1. Introduction
2. Technical calendar for planting tissue culture plants - follow up during the first year
3. Technical calendar for a date palm plantation older than 4/5 years

Chapter XII: DISEASES AND PESTS OF DATE PALM

1. Introduction
2. Fungal diseases of date palm
3. Phytoplasmic diseases of date palm
4. Diseases of unknown cause of date palm
5. Physiological disorders of date palm
6. Major pests of date palm

References

Back cover