In 2009, a team of researchers at the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar published a draft version of the date palm genome (Khalas variety). 'Dayri', ' Deglet Nour', 'Zahdi'), and dry (e.g. 'Barhee', 'Halawy', 'Khadrawy', ' Medjool') semi-dry (e.g. Three main cultivar groups exist: soft (e.g. Dates contain a single stone about 2–2.5 cm ( 3⁄ 4–1 in) long and 6–8 mm ( 1⁄ 4– 5⁄ 16 in) thick. In some areas such as Iraq the pollinator climbs the tree using a special climbing tool that wraps around the tree trunk and the climber's back (called تبلية in Arabic) to keep him attached to the trunk while climbing.ĭate fruits are oval-cylindrical, 3–7 cm (1–3 in) long, and 2–3 cm ( 3⁄ 4– 1 + 1⁄ 4 in) diameter, and when ripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety. Manual pollination is done by skilled labourers on ladders, or by use of a wind machine. Some growers do not even maintain any male plants, as male flowers become available at local markets at pollination time. Since the males are of value only as pollinators, they are usually pruned in favor of fruit-producing female plants. With assistance, one male can pollinate up to 100 females. Natural pollination occurs with about an equal number of male and female plants. As with other members of the palm family, date palms do not produce tree rings.ĭates are naturally wind- pollinated, but in traditional oasis horticulture and modern commercial orchards they are entirely hand-pollinated. Dates are "emblematic of oasis agriculture and highly symbolic in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religions." Description The total annual world production of dates amounts to 8.5 million metric tons (9.4 × 10 ^ 6 short tons), countries of the Middle East and North Africa being the largest producers and consumers. There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Arabia from the 6th millennium BCE. 'Intu', the Proto-Dravidian root of Hindu and India, refers to the plethora of date palm trees found in the Indus Valley region. Containing 61–68 percent sugar by mass when dried, dates are very sweet and are enjoyed as desserts on their own or within confections.ĭates have been cultivated in the Middle East and the Indus Valley for thousands of years. Date fruits (dates) are oval-cylindrical, 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) long, and about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, with colour ranging from dark brown to bright red or yellow, depending on variety. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100 years of age when maintained properly. ĭate trees reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming a clump with several stems from a single root system. P. dactylifera is the type species of genus Phoenix, which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide. Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as date palm, is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates.
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