Classification and Evaluation of Male Date Palm Trees According to Its Fertility and Identifying Its Pests

Al Fadda, Saud A.; Abo Aiana, Ramzy A.

doi:10.21608/eajbsh.2017.16766

Classification and Evaluation of Male Date Palm Trees According to Its Fertility and Identifying Its Pests

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ General manager of the Agriculture Management, Saleh Al Rajhi Endowment management, KSA.

² The Technical Affairs manager, The Agricultural management, Saleh Al Rajhi Endowment management, KSA - Chief Researcher, Plant Protection Research Institute , Agricultural Research Centre, Egypt

10.21608/eajbsh.2017.16766

Abstract

Due to the lack of scientific studies conducted on the male date palm trees, especially in terms of classification by their fertility, and since the Agricultural management of the Endowments Management have three date palm projects with more than 250.000 palm trees, including of 17000 male date palm trees.
Due to the importance of classification of the male palm trees according their fertility. A study was conducted (2015-2016) on random samples of male palm trees in order to classify those according their fertility into (produce non- fertile pollen powder, not produce any pollen powder, " hermaphrodite" producing small fruits without seeds ") in addition to studying the characteristics of the male bunches and their pests.
The results show that 99% of male date palm trees produce pollen powder , while 0.6% of them doesn't produce any pollen powder, while the hermaphrodite trees was 0.4%.
Results show also, the average yield of bunches per tree was is 20 bunches which produce 600 gm. of pollen powder which enough to pollinate fifteen palm trees.
The pollen fertility ranged from 89-98% depending on the period between collection to use and methods of storage.
Also, results reveal that the male bunches expose of risk of a four insect pests in addition to Khamedj disease (Meuginiella scaettae). Moreover, the incidence of frost in very cold seasons
Keywords : male date palm trees classification male date palm fertility male date palm pests

Keywords