Phoenix dactylifera

Date palm

Useful reference: 6

A strong palm tree, sometimes over 30 m high. The upward-arching leaves are very long and stiff with glaucous leaflets. The cylindrical fruits, 2-4 cm long, grow profusely on long hanging strands. The flat seeds account for about 20% of the weight of the fruit and are sometimes removed from the edible flesh before the fruit is dried for export. The seeds are extremely hard and must be crushed in a disc crusher before they can be powdered in a hammer-mill. Ground date seeds can be used in rations for ruminants if a good protein supplement or urea is added. They have constituted up to 20% of the total ruminant ration with good results. Ground seeds have also been used for pigs and as a substitute for barley in chick rations in proportions up to 10% of the total ration without depressing weight gains or feed efficiency. Both dried and sugar-extracted fruit pulp are good carbohydrate feeds for all farm animals and can compose at least 20% of the rations for growing poultry and pigs.

					As % of dry matter
				DM	CP	CF	Ash	EE	NFE	Ca	P	Ref
Dried whole dates,
Iraq				74.3	2.9	6.5	5.7	1.0	83.9			148
Seeds, Iraq				85.3	5.8	30.0	1.8	7.1	55.3			"
Seeds, hammer-
milled, Egypt				90.3	6.6	15.7	3.2	9.0	65.5			145
Sugar-extracted
fruit pulp, Iraq				88.2	5.5	11.8	2.7	0.4	79.6			148
							Digestibility (%)
					Animal		CP	CF	EE	NFE	ME	Ref
Seeds, milled					Sheep		0.0	52.5	91.4	73.2	2.67	145