Date palm
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a highly nutritious fruit. It is rich in sugar, iron, potassium, calcium and nicotinic acid. One kg fully ripe fresh dates provide approximately 3,150 calories. The flesh of dates contains 20% moisture, 60–65% sugar, 2.5% fibre, 2% protein and less than 2% each of fat, minerals and pectic substances. Thus, date fruit can help supplement the dietary needs of desert people where very few nutritive foods are available. In California, diced date, date paste and sugar are manufactured for use in breakfast and bakery. The leaves of the palm also have potential for use in the manufacture of paper.
Long dry summer and sufficient heat unit accumulation for development and ripening of fruit, sufficient water resources for irrigation and production technology suitable for Indian agroclimate make India quite suitable for its commercial cultivation. Nearly 0.3 million ha of land can be effectively utilized for its cultivation. The extremely dry areas comprising Jaisalmer, Barmer and Western parts of Bikaner and Jodhpur districts are the potential region for its cultivation. In other areas, fruits are harvested either at dang or rutab (soft translucent) stage (eastern parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Barmer and Western parts of Nagur).
Climate and soil
The date palm is very exacting in its climatic requirement, which according to an Arab saying should grow with ‘its feet in running water and its head in the fire of the sky’. The successful cultivation of date palm requires a long summer with high day as well as night temperature, a mild winter without frost, and absence of rain at the time of flowering and fruit setting with low relative humidity and plenty of sunshine. It is estimated that finest date varieties require 3,300 units of heat (base 10°C) for full maturity of its berries.
The heat unit summation must occur from pollination until full maturity of berries. This period should be rainless and dry. This is in contrast to its native home in Mediterranean region where summers are dry with rainy winters to allow fruit development from May through September–October. In Indian subtropics, fruiting period is confined only from February–July whereas ripening period coincides with rainfall. Therefore, fruits do not reach ripening stage and should be harvested at earlier stage of fruit development.
Deep, sandy loam soils ideal for maximum water–holding capacity and good drainage are desirable. Date palm can grow in alkaline and saline soils but in such soils its growth and productivity are greatly reduced. The soil profile should be free from stones or calcium carbonate concretions and hard pan at least up to 2m depth. Date palm tolerate high soil salinity (pH 8–10). It can survive in soils having 4% salt concentration, provided the root system does not come in contact with a stratum of soil where the sodicity is more than 1%
Varieties
More than 1,000 varieties of dates are known to exist. However, only a few of them are commercially cultivated in different countries. Halawy, Khadrawy, Sayer, Barhee and Zahidi in Iraq; Deglet Noor, Medjool and Ghars in North African countries and Begam Jangi and Dhakki in Pakistan are commercial cultivars. Of the date varieties evaluated, Barhee, Halawy, Khalas and Khunezi have a very little or no astringency and are thus suitable for eating as raw. These varieties can be harvested and used at doka stage before the onset of rains. Date palm Medjool, Zahidi, Shamran and Khadrawy are astringent at doka stage and can be used for processing to prepare dry dates (chhuhara) and soft dates (pind khajoor). The red coloured dates Zagloul and Hayani are suitable for the preparation of date juice (RTS) and other products like jam and chutney. The important date varieties are:
Halawy
An early cultivar, suitable for raw eating and processing as soft dates. Tolerant to rain. Fruit small to medium, oblong with rounded apex and yellow at doka stage. TSS 25.5–42.2% and astringency fruit at doka stage low or almost absent.
Khadarawy
A is comparatively dwarf-and mid-season cultivar. Fruit matures slightly later than Halawy. Small to medium, oblong-ovate and greenish-yellow at doka stage.
Shamran (Sayer)
A mid-season cultivar, slightly tolerant to high humidity. Fruit is medium to large, oblong-oval and yellow at doka stage with faint longitudinal streaks of red near the base.
Medjool
A late-ripening cultivar, it is suitable for preparation of dry dates. The fruit is large and broadly oblong-oval to somewhat ovate, orange-yellow with a fine reddish-brown stippling and highly astringent at doka stage. The seed has ridges.
Barhee
A mid-season or late cultivar. Fruit small to medium, ovate to nearly round, golden-yellow and almost free from astringency even at green stage. Hard ripe doka fruits very sweet and suitable for raw eating.
Zahidi
A mid-season and prolific-bearer, variety, slightly tolerant to rain or high humidity because of smooth and hard surface. Fruit small to medium, ovate and yellow, astringent at doka stage. Fruits are suitable to prepare soft dates.
Khalas
It is a mid–season cultivar. Fruit small to medium, oblong oval, yellow and sweet at doka stage, has an oblique base and irregular outline. It is suitable for raw eating and for processing as soft dates.
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a highly nutritious fruit. It is rich in sugar, iron, potassium, calcium and nicotinic acid. One kg fully ripe fresh dates provide approximately 3,150 calories. The flesh of dates contains 20% moisture, 60–65% sugar, 2.5% fibre, 2% protein and less than 2% each of fat, minerals and pectic substances. Thus, date fruit can help supplement the dietary needs of desert people where very few nutritive foods are available. In California, diced date, date paste and sugar are manufactured for use in breakfast and bakery. The leaves of the palm also have potential for use in the manufacture of paper.
Long dry summer and sufficient heat unit accumulation for development and ripening of fruit, sufficient water resources for irrigation and production technology suitable for Indian agroclimate make India quite suitable for its commercial cultivation. Nearly 0.3 million ha of land can be effectively utilized for its cultivation. The extremely dry areas comprising Jaisalmer, Barmer and Western parts of Bikaner and Jodhpur districts are the potential region for its cultivation. In other areas, fruits are harvested either at dang or rutab (soft translucent) stage (eastern parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Barmer and Western parts of Nagur).
Climate and soil
The date palm is very exacting in its climatic requirement, which according to an Arab saying should grow with ‘its feet in running water and its head in the fire of the sky’. The successful cultivation of date palm requires a long summer with high day as well as night temperature, a mild winter without frost, and absence of rain at the time of flowering and fruit setting with low relative humidity and plenty of sunshine. It is estimated that finest date varieties require 3,300 units of heat (base 10°C) for full maturity of its berries.
The heat unit summation must occur from pollination until full maturity of berries. This period should be rainless and dry. This is in contrast to its native home in Mediterranean region where summers are dry with rainy winters to allow fruit development from May through September–October. In Indian subtropics, fruiting period is confined only from February–July whereas ripening period coincides with rainfall. Therefore, fruits do not reach ripening stage and should be harvested at earlier stage of fruit development.
Deep, sandy loam soils ideal for maximum water–holding capacity and good drainage are desirable. Date palm can grow in alkaline and saline soils but in such soils its growth and productivity are greatly reduced. The soil profile should be free from stones or calcium carbonate concretions and hard pan at least up to 2m depth. Date palm tolerate high soil salinity (pH 8–10). It can survive in soils having 4% salt concentration, provided the root system does not come in contact with a stratum of soil where the sodicity is more than 1%
Varieties
More than 1,000 varieties of dates are known to exist. However, only a few of them are commercially cultivated in different countries. Halawy, Khadrawy, Sayer, Barhee and Zahidi in Iraq; Deglet Noor, Medjool and Ghars in North African countries and Begam Jangi and Dhakki in Pakistan are commercial cultivars. Of the date varieties evaluated, Barhee, Halawy, Khalas and Khunezi have a very little or no astringency and are thus suitable for eating as raw. These varieties can be harvested and used at doka stage before the onset of rains. Date palm Medjool, Zahidi, Shamran and Khadrawy are astringent at doka stage and can be used for processing to prepare dry dates (chhuhara) and soft dates (pind khajoor). The red coloured dates Zagloul and Hayani are suitable for the preparation of date juice (RTS) and other products like jam and chutney. The important date varieties are:
Halawy
An early cultivar, suitable for raw eating and processing as soft dates. Tolerant to rain. Fruit small to medium, oblong with rounded apex and yellow at doka stage. TSS 25.5–42.2% and astringency fruit at doka stage low or almost absent.
Khadarawy
A is comparatively dwarf-and mid-season cultivar. Fruit matures slightly later than Halawy. Small to medium, oblong-ovate and greenish-yellow at doka stage.
Shamran (Sayer)
A mid-season cultivar, slightly tolerant to high humidity. Fruit is medium to large, oblong-oval and yellow at doka stage with faint longitudinal streaks of red near the base.
Medjool
A late-ripening cultivar, it is suitable for preparation of dry dates. The fruit is large and broadly oblong-oval to somewhat ovate, orange-yellow with a fine reddish-brown stippling and highly astringent at doka stage. The seed has ridges.
Barhee
A mid-season or late cultivar. Fruit small to medium, ovate to nearly round, golden-yellow and almost free from astringency even at green stage. Hard ripe doka fruits very sweet and suitable for raw eating.
Zahidi
A mid-season and prolific-bearer, variety, slightly tolerant to rain or high humidity because of smooth and hard surface. Fruit small to medium, ovate and yellow, astringent at doka stage. Fruits are suitable to prepare soft dates.
Khalas
It is a mid–season cultivar. Fruit small to medium, oblong oval, yellow and sweet at doka stage, has an oblique base and irregular outline. It is suitable for raw eating and for processing as soft dates.
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