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

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© 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

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