United Arab Emirates University

Date Palm Development Research Unit Dept.

Date Palm Tissue Culture Laboratory (DPTCL)

Guidelines and Tips

for the Cultivation
of Tissue
Culture-Derived
Date Palm Trees
Introduction

One of the major objectives of the UAE University’s Date Palm

Development Research Unit is to promote the distribution of scientific
literature and technical information regarding modern techniques
used to propagate date palms, by issuing technical newsletters and
brochures.

With this objective in mind, the unit launched a programme to ensure

the proper establishment of distributed offshoots which provides
growers with precise technical protocols and itineraries, detailing all
the required procedures starting from palm delivery up to field
planting and the first fruit production.

Advantages of Tissue Culture-Derived Date Palms

Tissue culture-derived date palm cultivars have many advantages

when compared to the two main traditional propagation techniques
(seeds and offshoots), as listed below. The date palm cultivars
produced by the UAE University’s Date Palm Development Research
Unit consequently have the following advantages:

- 100% Genotypic and phenotypic identity in terms of the

distinguishing characteristics of the parent date palm cultivar.
- Rapid growth when compared to ordinary offshoots and early
production, since cultivars can fruit at the start of the third or
fourth year after planting, depending on the quality of care
provided by growers.
- High quality date palm varieties that are disease and pest-free.
- Palms are easier to handle and transport between locations
(locally and internationally) because of the small plant-size and
its low weight, leading to lower transportation costs and
preventing exposure of the plants to pathogens.
- Synchronized growth of the cultivars with uniform
characteristics (age, height, flowering time, production type)
which facilitates the use of modern machinery for pollination
and harvesting and simplifies management of the date palms.
- Very high survival percentage of the date palms due to healthy,
strong and well-established root-systems. Provided correct care
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 is given during growth, the survival rate of the tissue culture-
derived plants reaches 100%, with the plants showing
consistent growth and production patterns.
- Delivers higher-yielding date palms when compared to trees
derived from traditional offshoots.
- Prices of tissue culture-derived date palms are favourable when
compared to ordinary offshoots, which are usually high in price,
taking into consideration the quality and rarity of certain
varieties.

Preparations Prior to Planting Tissue Culture-Derived Date Palm

Trees

- Examine the soil to ensure there is no hard rocky layer or large

boulders directly beneath the planting surface. If such is the
case, all sub-soil boulders and rocks should be removed from
the planting area.
- Ensure the water supply is of good quality and not salty, as it
will negatively affect the growth and development the date
palms.
- Prepare the irrigation network according to the allocated
planting spaces.
- Stake out the planting field using lines and mark the individual
planting spaces as needed. It is recommended that growers
use a square planting system (7×7), (8×8) or (7×8) taking into
consideration the variety, type of soil and the climate
(specifically the humidity). There are many factors that should
determine the spacing amongst planted trees such as:
1) Allowing sufficient space between the date palm trees so
that they receive sufficient sunlight once they mature.
2) Allowing enough space between individual trees to allow
maintenance to be performed by workers.
3) Provide enough space in the soil to allow proper root
growth.
- Prepare the necessary planting holes for the
palm trees with dimensions no smaller than
75×75×75 cm. It is suggested that the hole is
left exposed to the sun and air for a few days
to eliminate possible harmful
microorganisms.
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 - Mix soil with a chosen manure (it is recommended to use
thermally treated organic manure that shows good solubility).
The topsoil should be collected, put aside and used in the
preparation of the planting mixture which will be placed at the
bottom of the planting hole. The planting mixture is prepared by
mixing the topsoil with peat moss and alluvium in a 1:1:1 ratio.
If no peat moss is available, it is suggested that a mixture of 1
part sand and 1 part alluvium is used.
- The planting hole should be filled with the prepared planting
mixture approximately half-way or two-
thirds and irrigated two or three times
before planting the date palm, to
ensure that the planting mixture
acquires a consistent texture and
settles at the bottom. The irrigation
water will also help to drain any extra
salts and promotes composting of the
organic material.

Process of Planting of Date Palm Trees

The planting process is the most important and critical stage in

establishing a new date palm field or farm. Any errors made during
the planting process may lead to a low survival rate, poor
establishment and/or poor agronomic performance of the date palms,
regardless of the efforts put in during the earlier preparation stages.
- Date palm trees can be cultivated at any time of the year if
given special care and good planning, especially during cold
winters and very hot summer seasons. Cultivation during spring
and autumn seasons is preferred because they provide mild
conditions and good seasonal timing for growth. Planting during
spring avoids damaging cold and makes use of the warm
weather, helping to speed up growth. Whereas planting during
autumn provides the date palms with more time to stabilize and
establish in the field before the extremely high temperatures of
the summer season.
- The planting process should be started during the early
morning to reduce the strain placed upon the trees and also to
give them sufficient time to adapt to conditions in the soil.

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- The height of the date palms, which the growers receive from
the laboratory, should range from 35 to 40 cm. Each tree
should have about 4 to 5 branches including the three leaves,
known as the original leaves. The trees’ base should have an
onion-like (or fig-like) shape, and should have a strong root
system which is suitable for growth.
- The transport of date palms must be done in a careful and
appropriate manner, and they should not be put on top of each
other to avoid breaking the stem or causing damage to the
branches.

- The steps listed below should be followed when performing the

planting process:
1) The plastic bag should be cut open from the base first, to
ensure the safety and integrity of the root system.

2) The date palm should be placed in the planting hole with

extra care, ensuring that the core of the tree (the grown
top) is slightly below the soil surface (approximately 25 to
30 cm), and should be positioned vertically but slightly
tilted towards the opposite direction of the wind.

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3) Soil should be placed around the tree and then the plastic
bag is pulled out and upward.

4) The soil should then be pressed tightly around the tree to

eliminate any air pockets around the root system, which
might lead to its decay. The golden rule to planting a date
palm is to ensure that the wide
diameter of the trees’ base
(onion- or fig-shape) is placed
at the soil level and that the
irrigation water does not come
into contact with the central
heart of the tree.

5) Directly after planting each date palm, two soil beds

should be prepared: the first bed should be next to the
heart of the tree to prevent irrigation water from reaching
it; and the second bed on the outside with a 1 m diameter
to receive irrigation water, keep it from being wasted and
to ensure the direction of sufficient water to the trees’ root
system. The depth of the hole is recommended to be
around 20 to 30 cm.

6) The date palm trees should be

surrounded with a fence and
covered with plastic or bale
nets to protect it from harsh
climate factors (sun and wind
during its first summer and
through the cold of the first
winter) and foraging animals
such as rabbits and other
rodents.
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Date Palm Tree Protection and Post-Planting Care

- The date palm trees must be irrigated daily in a consistent

manner for an initial period of 40 days, taking into account the
type of soil and avoiding flooding of the heart of the tree. Care
must be taken to wet the soil around the tree to the same
consistency each time and not leave it too wet or dry.
- After the first initial period of 40 days (after the date of planting),
irrigation of the tree may be reduced to two or three times a
week for the next two months (if the type of land and the
climate of the area allows it).
- After the third year since planting the trees, each date palm
irrigation bed should be widened to have a diameter similar to
the diameter of the extent of the branches.
- It is recommended to leave only 3 to 4 offshoots (equally
spaced) attached to the tree and to remove extra offshoots in
order to give the date palm enough space for good growth and
expansion. Soil must be covered well with dust at the site of
offshoot cutting and a good pesticide should be used to protect
the date palm from infection with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
(Red Palm Weevil) or any other harmful pests.
- It is recommended to remove the spadix (spike) during the first
and second year after planting, in order to allow the tree to grow
naturally and develop a strong and dense trunk.
- It is recommended that thermally treated organic manure is
applied one year after planting the trees (i.e. at the start of the
second year), applying it as follow:
5 kg / tree: 2nd year
10 kg / tree: 3rd year
15 kg / tree: 4th year
20 kg / tree: 5th year
25 kg / tree: 6th year
This treatment programme is to be fixed until the tenth year, in
addition to applying an annual compound chemical fertilizer,
containing 100 g Nitrogen, 75 g Phosphorous and 100 g
Potassium per date palm.

- Starting from the fourth year from planting, the inflorescence

cluster per spadix (pollination site) should be left on the tree at
a ratio of 2-3.

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 - It is recommended that a suitable date palm cultivar with
‘Bayoud’ resistance is used, and to use male cultivars that have
superior pollen, favourable metaxenia characteristics and
enough pollen or inflorescence clusters to pollinate the female
spikes (spadix).
- The pollinated spadix (spike) should be covered with paper
bags for about one or two weeks, to prevent foreign external
pollination.
- Instructions and guidelines provided should be followed
carefully and good care must be taken of the date palm trees, if
a grower is aiming on obtaining good growth and high yields.
- The careful following of these instructions and guidelines
should ensure a success rate of 95-100% in establishing a
functional date palm field. Along with the supplied irrigation
plan, annual fertilizing programme and the regular removal of
weeds and grasses, the grower should also carefully monitor
the date palm field during the first 10 to 12 months after
planting in order to identify potential problems early-on and to
take effective preventative measures.

Date Palm Development Research Unit is selling tissue culture-

derived date palm cultivars all year round at the according to the
highest standards and specifications as follow:

1- Identical to the variety parent (true to type).

2- Disease and pest-free (pathogen-free).
3- Rapid growth compared to traditional offshoots.
4- Strong, healthy and dense root systems.
5- Possible 100% cultivation success.