· DATE PALM FRUITS CAN BE EATEN AS RAW DATES (FRESH DATES), DRY DATES (CHHUHARA) AND SOFT DATES (PIND KHAJOOR). FRUITS HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED FOR HIGH NUTRITIVE AND CALORIFIC FOOD VALUES (1440 CAL/KG OF FRESH FRUITS). FRUITS ARE ALSO RICH SOURCE OF MINERAL (15 TYPES), VITAMINS (7 TYPES), ANTI OXIDANTS AND ALSO HAVE MANY PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES. DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCTS LIKE JUICE, WINE, CHUTNEY, JAM, PICKLES AND BAKERY ITEMS CAN BE PREPARED FROM FRUITS.
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CLIMATE AND SOIL · DATE PALM REQUIRES HOT AND DRY SUMMERS FOR QUALITY FRUIT PRODUCTION AND WELL ADAPTED TO THE AREAS HAVING HOT SUMMERS, LESS RAIN AND LOW HUMIDITY. IT IS A HARDY FRUIT AND CAN BE GROWN ON WIDE VARIETY OF SOILS. IT CAN TOLERATE PH UP TO 10 AND MORE ALKALI OR SALT AS COMPARED TO OTHER FRUIT CROPS. IT IS ALSO TOLERANT TO DROUGHT AND FLOODING CONDITIONS.
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RECOMMENDED CULTIVARS · HILLAWI (2016) :THE TREES ARE TALL AND VIGOROUS IN GROWTH. THE FRUIT IS OBLONG ELLIPTICAL WITH OBTUSE APEX, LIGHT ORANGE WITH YELLOW SHADE SKIN AT DOKA STAGE. THE ORANGE FRUIT WEIGHT IS 15.2G, TSS 29.6% AND PULP STONE RATIO 9.7:1. IT IS EARLY IN RIPENING AS THE FRUIT REACH AT FULL DOKA STAGE IN MID JULY. THIS VARIETY IS LOW IN ASTRINGENCY AND BEST SUITED FOR RAW EATING AND CHHUHARA MAKING AT DOKA STAGE. ITS AVERAGE YIELD IS 90-95 KG/TREE AT DOKA STAGE. BARHEE (2016) : · TREES ARE SEMI VIGOROUS AND MEDIUM IN HEIGHT. THE FRUITS ARE OVAL IN SHAPE AND YELLOW IN COLOUR AT DOKA STAGE. THE AVERAGE FRUIT WEIGHT AS 12.2 G, TSS IS 25.4% AND ITS PULP STONE RATIO 9.1 : 1. IT IS LATE IN RIPENING AS THE FRUIT REACH AT FULL DOKA STAGE IN MID AUGUST. THIS VARIETY IS LOW IN ASTRINGENCY AND BEST FOR RAW EATING AT DOKA STAGE. ITS AVERAGE YIELD IS 65-70 KG/TREE AT DOKA STAGE. |
PROPAGATION · DATE PALM IS GENERALLY PROPAGATED BY OFF-SHOOT (SUCKERS). IT IS VERY SLOW PROCESS AND UNABLE TO MULTIPLYING THE NURSERY PLANTS AT COMMERCIAL SCALE. TISSUE CULTURE IS RECOMMENDED FOR DATE PALM PROPAGATION. PLANTS RAISED BY TISSUE CULTURE ARE TRUE TO TYPE AND ARE MORE SUPERIOR TO CONVENTIONALLY PROPAGATED PLANTS. |
PLANTING · DATE PALM IS PLANTED IN SQUARE SYSTEM AT DISTANCE OF 8 M×8 M DURING FEBRUARY- MARCH AND AUGUST – SEPTEMBER. |
TRAINING AND PRUNING · DATE PALM IS MONOCOTYLEDONOUS SINGLE STEM PLANT AND GENERALLY DO NOT BRANCH. THEREFORE DISEASED, DRIED AND DAMAGED LEAVES MUST BE REMOVED DURING THE WINTER. VERY OLD LEAVES MUST BE REMOVED AS THESE ARE LESS EFFICIENT IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS. BESIDES REMOVAL OF LEAVES, DETHORNING CLOSE TO FRUIT BUNCHES IS ALSO ESSENTIAL WHICH HELPS IN POLLINATION, THINNING OF BUNCHES, SPRAYING AND HARVESTING OF FRUITS. AFTER FRUIT SET TWISTING OF BUNCH IS DONE DURING APRIL-MAY TO WITHSTAND BUNCH BREAKAGE FROM HIGH WIND VELOCITY. 70-100 LEAVES PER PALM ARE REQUIRED FOR OPTIMUM PRODUCTIVITY. |
MANURES AND FERTILIZERS · APPLY WELL ROTTEN FYM @ 10 KG PER PLANT PER YEAR UPTO THE AGE OF 5 YEARS AND AFTERWARDS APPLY 50 KG FARM YARD MANURE EVERY YEAR IN NOVEMBER-DECEMBER. ALSO APPLY 4.4 KG UREA IN TWO SPLITS DOSES, FIRST HALF BEFORE FLOWERING AND THE REMAINING IN APRIL AFTER FRUIT SET TO FULLY GROWN (5 YEARS OR MORE) TREES. |
IRRIGATION · DATE PALM IS RESISTANT TO DROUGHT AND SALINITY AS COMPARED TO OTHER FRUIT CROPS. ONE IRRIGATION PRIOR TO SPATHE EMERGENCE IS CRITICAL FOR NORMAL FRUITING. IRRIGATION AFTER FRUIT SET IS GIVEN REGULARLY. IN LIGHT SOILS, IRRIGATION IS GIVEN AT 10-15 DAYS INTERVAL IN SUMMER AND 30-40 DAYS INTERVAL DURING THE WINTER. |
FLOWERING, POLLINATION AND FRUIT DEVELOPMENT · FLOWERING IN DATE PALM STARTS BY SPATHE EMERGENCE. IT TAKES PLACE FROM LATE WINTER TO SPRING WHICH IS INFLUENCED BY TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS, CULTIVARS AND SEX OF THE PLANT ETC. DATE PALM IS DIOECIOUS PLANT (BEARING MALE AND FEMALE FLOWERS ON SEPARATE TREES) AND REQUIRES ARTIFICIAL POLLINATION FOR GOOD FRUIT SETTING. THE PLANTATION OF FEMALE AND MALE TREES IS DONE IN THE RATIO OF 10:1 FOR THE PROPER POLLINATION. HAND POLLINATION IS DONE BY DUSTING POLLEN ON FRESHLY OPENED FEMALE SPATHE IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS FOR AT LEAST 2-3 DAYS OR BY HANGING STRANDS OF MALE INFLORESCENCE IN INVERTED CONDITION ON FEMALE SPATHE. FOR COLLECTION OF POLLEN FROM MALE SPATHE, THE MATURE MALE SPATHE ARE SWEPT ON PAPER. THE COLLECTED POLLEN IS KEPT FOR 6 HRS IN SUNLIGHT FOLLOWED BY 18 HRS IN SHADE AND CAN BE STORED IN AIRTIGHT GLASS VIAL IN COOL PLACE AT NORMAL TEMPERATURE FOR 8 WEEKS. AFTER FERTILIZATION FRUIT SET TAKE PLACE. THERE ARE FOUR FRUIT DEVELOPMENT STAGES IN DATE PALM VIZ. KIMRI (FRUIT ATTAINS PEA SIZE AND REMAIN HARD GREEN), DOKA (FRUIT ATTAINS FULL GROWTH, REMAINS HARD AND THEIR COLOUR CHANGES INTO YELLOW OR RED), DANG (SOFTENING OF FRUIT START FROM TIP AND FINALLY WHOLE FRUIT SOFTEN), TAMAR (FRUITS IS FULLY RIPENED, FRUIT WEIGHT DECREASES AS A RESULT OF DEHYDRATION OF FRUITS). |
FRUIT MATURITY AND HARVESTING · DATE PALM BEAR FRUIT AFTER FIVE YEARS. THE DATES ARE HARVESTED AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF MATURITY DEPENDING UPON THE VARIETIES, DEMAND OF CONSUMERS AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. FOR FRESH AND DRY DATES, THE BUNCHES ARE HARVESTED AT FULL DOKA STAGE AND FOR SOFT DATES BUNCHES ARE HARVESTED AT PARTIAL DANG STAGE. |