HADIKLAIM

Date palm Cultivation under the threat of: Pest and disease infestation.
Author: Baruch Glasner
Date: 1/1/2002

Hadiklaim Agricultural Manager.
Extension Service - Date Palm growing expert.



Two main threats for the production are Bayoud (Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Albedinis) and Red Palm Weevil (Rhyncophorus ferrugineus Olivier).

Regardless of these threats, 3,500,000 date palm plants need to be planted each year in order to maintain the current world date palm area of 878 125 ha.

The Bayoud and the Red Palm weevil force date growers all around the world to devote their efforts to both propagating and distributing traditional and new varieties . Tissue culture propagation enables mass production of both traditional and new varieties, and distribution all around the world without the danger of transference of pests.

Additional Index worlds
Rhyncophorus ferrugineus Olivier, Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Albedinis, Tissue culture propagation.

The execution of transferring the Medjhool trees out off Morocco to the U.S.A might be used as a preferable way of Salvation the species while strictly keeping of the quarantine engagements.

Back in 1972 when the scathing Bayoud disease were already known in the Old world of Morocco, arrived to the quarantine area in the Nevada desert Dr. Walter Swingel researcher, pioneer and the actual founder of the whole Date palm branch in the United states of America.

After a long and profound negotiation with the Sheriff of the region he is being granted by 11 healthy off shoots - cut off a clean healthy plot - which he transfer to the quarantine in south Nevada.

7 years have been passed since then up until the moment that ha was able to move both the grown trees and the offshoots - at that time by the number of 73 units to the experimental station at India - California.

These trees are in fact origin for all hundreds of thousands of Medjhool trees all over the world today.
The Declared Goal:

Achieving high quality fruits meets all international quality standards that can grant a profitable fair return to the grower, start with good, healthy, strong and off the compatible and suitable variety true to type of the plant, as well as suitable in all components to the growing area.

The most required varieties in western world market now a days are:

Medjhool - due to its size & attractive appearance.

Deglet Nour - due to its special unique taste & being familiar to the Middle eastern population.

Barhi - preferred by many consumers at the Khalal stage - available on a very short season.

The scope of the world wide dates plantation is 878,125 hectare, the calculation of around 150 trees per hectare , gives us the scope of 130,000,000 date plantations.

In order to preserve this scope, we have got to plant every year about 3,000,000 trees.

(This calculation is based on the assumption of 30-50 years existence per tree) I.E. plantation of 2% -3% per anum.

In addition should be taken into consideration the waste caused as a result of : Diseases , pets, natural catastrophes & municipal developments.

Developments of supplemental area & admission of new varieties:

In addition to the maintenance plantation - to replace the losses there are many plans for renewal , and development of the existing plantations by planting mainly.

The Medjhool variety . This factor has been noticed mainly in the southern part of Africa (Namibia, R.S.A., & Zimbabwe)

Likewise , a creating o9f new plantation in the Sahel area (Southern to the Sahara desert) have been noted, as well as mass plantation ) mainly Barhi & Medjhool varieties in the Arabic countries.

The majority of these plantations are planned to be taken out of Tissue culture seedlings.

Coutry Annual Production Quantities in MT
Iran 900,000
Egypt 750,000
Iraq 660,000
Saudi Arabia 600,000
Pakistan 535,000
Algeria 387,313
United Arab Amirats 250,000
Sudan 175,000
Oman 135,000
Libya 130,000
U.S.A 19,050
Israel 9,760
Total world wide Production: 4,907,283

Out of these figures only 250,000 MT of dates fruits are internationally trades.

I.E. the majority of the quantities are locally consumed. Quantities of over than 10Kg. Per capita.

Two main strategic threats are threatening the whole date’s growth around the world.

Strategic threat: type of threat that can totally destroy plantations in a certain area. Or in the whole country.

Bayoud : Group fungus - Fusarium oxysporum f. Sp Albedinis. Fustarium group have been destroyed already around 10 million date plants in Morocco and Western Algeria at the beginning of the 20th century.

The way for transferring the disease is by contaminated offshoots or other

contaminated plant’s

parts. Once the pest is penetrating - it is impossible to eliminate it.
Methods to be used in order to prevent penetrating of the pest: Extreme blockade
of the contaminated areas.

Red Palm Wevvil: Rhyncophrus Ferroginenus Olivier.
A type of beetle that it’s Larra is digging the tree’s breed up until they fall down.

This pest is massively attacking also other Dates types of trees. This pest have been
spread over the last 10 years to the traditional growing areas of the palm trees in

Middle East, and starting on 1992 also to Egypt.
The fight against these two pests is very tough, and requires lots of efforts both

creatively & financially.
The ways in which the disease is spread is through contaminated offshoots being

transferred throughout the different areas.
Methods to be used in order to prevent - against Extreme blockade of contaminated areas.

Tissue Culture - Vitro:

The system of multiplicity by tissue culture enable a mass production of compatible varieties, free from the contaminated pests - (Bayoud & R.P.W.) , and in fact the only assurance way to renewal & develop plantations without the danger of transference the pests.

This method were developed stating at the beginning of 1980 , and during the years of 19990 onward an extensive quantities of selected varieties have been produced in laboratories in many countries all around the world (U.K., France, R.S.A., U.S.A., Namibia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia , Egypt etc...)

there is a significant importance to decisive & reliable identification of the plants, chosen as origin for production.

The whole process is indeed considerably slow - approx. 4-5 years from the moment of the taking down the offshoot of the tree - up until the delivery of strong (Vigros) plant suitable for to be put in the ground.

There are still unsolved issues in this system:


In the Barhi variety - the period of juvenile is even longer , and consequently caused low fruit-set in comparison to plants produced of offshoots.

In the Medjool variety there is the phenomenon of black score like which harm the young trees. The exact reason for this phenomenon have no yet been identified and still being investigating.

Conclusion:
Due to the threat of the two pests : Bayoud and R.P.W. I order to guarantee strong , healthy plants. Which are as identical to the original as possible, the preferable method should be the technology of the Tissue Culture system.


date dates hadiklailm Hadiklaim grower cooperative barhi amari medjoul hayani halawi deglet dekel nour tamar tmarim hadrawi dayri zahidi recipe recipes israel jordan river king solomon