Dates are dried because they are devoid of water or moisture. However, they are naturally cured to maintain their nutrients and minerals.
Dates are believed to benefit the stomach and intestines, providing them with essential nutrients and promoting digestion. They can also be used as a laxative to relieve constipation or diarrhea.
Dates are scientifically known as Phoenix Dactylifera.
Dates can be eaten plain or incorporated into other popular dishes.
The average trees inter and intra rows spacing were 5.8 and 4.6 m respectively and the average distance to nearest tree was 3.66 m
Dates help in relieving constipation & regulating bowel movements.
Dates help in promoting heart health & reducing heart disease risk.
Dates help in controlling diarrhea.
Dates help in preventing Iron deciency anaemia.
Dates help in reducing blood pressure.
Dates help in boosting sexual health.
Dates help in promoting respiratory & digestive health.
Dates help in pregnancy & deliveries.
Dates help in arthritis patients.
Dates help in reducing colitis risk.
Dates help in preventing colon cancer.
Dates help in weight gain
Rajasthan, Gujarat and south Indian states of
TamilNadu , Kerala,UP.MP And HR.
There are more than 1000 date varieties exist.
Here are some of the commercially cultivated date varieties. Barhee, Medjool,DigletNoor,Khalas, Shamran
(Sayer), Khadarawy, Halawy, Zahidi, Khalas, Wild date palm.
Dates require low relative humidity & plenty
of sunshine for their best growth. It requires long days with plenty of sunshine, night
temperatures and winter days without frost. It does not prefer rain especially at the time
of owering and fruit setting.
Dates require well-drained deep sandy loam soils
with pH of 8.0 to 10.0.The soil should have ability to hold the moisture. The dates also can
be grown in saline & alkaline soils with lower yield. The soil should be free from calcium
carbonate and should not have any hard pan at least up to 2.5 meter for better root
development.Harvesting in Dates Farming:- Dates will be ready for harvesting after 6 to 7 years of
planting and yield would be less in the initial stages. Depending on the variety, dates are
eaten at different stages, so the harvesting depends on the local demand. In India, Date
fruits are harvested at ‘doka’ stage to avoid any damage caused by humidity and rains. In
Propagation in date palm cultivation done by off- shoots
(suckers) emerging from the base of the mother palm tree or seeds or tissue culture.
Farmers don’t prefer seed propagation as it results in poor quality of fruits and more than
half of those fruits may be non-bearing males.Before removing the suckers (off-shoots), the outer leaves of mother palm should be cut
back to 2/3rd of their lengths & the inner leaves should be cut to half, the pruned old
leaves stalks should be tied together for protecting and developing the well rooted
system of the young growing bud
As the date palm trees are
perennial in nature and having long life about 50 years, it is essential to have adequate
spacing between the plants. The square planting system is adopted in the dates palm
cultivation and 8 meters distance between the rows is maintained in this system for
proper inter cultural operations and growth. The plant density in the dates farming is
about 160 plants per hectare land and 10% of those must be male off-shoots to provide
adequate pollen-grains, since dates are dioecious fruits.
The selected eld should be ploughed 2 to 3 times and levelled to bring the soil to the
ne tilth stage. Dig the pits size of 1 meter x 1 meter x 1 meter during the summer to
prepare for rainy season planting. These pits should be kept open for about 2 weeks and
then lled with well rotten farmyard manure and the soil. July to Sept time is best time
for planting
If the eld has irrigation facility, farmers can get some
extra income by having inter crops in between the dates palm plants. Inter crops like
green gram, black gram, peas, lentils, vegetable crops, papaya, and pomegranate can be
cultivated. In case of inter cropping, make sure to have additional requirement of water
and fertilizers.Irrigation in Dates Farming:- Date palm requires high water although it can withstand
prolonged dry and drought. It prefers constant moisture in the soil but sensitive to water
logging. There is no need of watering in rainy season and in case of heavy rains ir oods,
water needs to be drained out as it may damage the plantation. in high water table areas,
5 to 6 irrigations may be required per year where as it requires frequent irrigations after
planting. Water requirement depends on the soil moisture holding capacity and climatic
conditions. Mulching is the best method of retaining the soil moisture and preventing
the weed growth. Once the off-shoots are emerged, the frequency of irrigation can be
reduced
Organic and in organic fertilizers are very
important in date palms farming for production of quality dates. This also increases the
yield of dates. Supplementing the soil with well decomposed farm yard manure of 12 to
35 tonnes/ha is recommended and this can be applied in the beginning of winter
.chemical fertilizers of N: P: K should be applied in the ratio of 30:20:50 kg/ha and this can
be applied in the month of March and April. In India, the recommended dose of ‘N’ is 1.40
kg/tree. When it comes to yearly requirement, an adult tree requires 600 grams of ‘N’, 100
grams of ‘P’ & 75 grams of ‘K’ every year.Pests and Diseases in Dates Farming:- The following are the diseases and pests found
date palm plantation.
Bayoud disease: This is mainly caused by fungus in the soil. To control this, the soil
should be treated with chloropicrin or methyl bromide.
Diplodia disease: This is also caused by fungus in date plantation. To control this,
protect wounds & cuts from pruning with Bordeaux mixture.
Graphiola leaf spot: This is also caused by fungus in high humid conditions. This can
be controlled and prevented from pruning the effected leaves and destroying them.
Application of fungicide spray Bordeaux can be used.
Khamedj disease: Fungus caused in hot, humid climatic conditions in neglected
plantations. Infected spathes should be removed and burned. Diseases palms should
be treated with diseased Bordeaux mixture.
Parlatoria date scale: This is caused by insects. Mineral based oils are effective against
nymphs. Regular pruning of palms can keep the scales under control.
Coconut rhinoceros beetle: This is also caused by insects and this can be controlled
by destroying any decaying logs in palm plantation by chopping and burning.ield of Dates:- The date fruit yield depends on the variety grown and farm practices and
other factors including soil and climate. However, 10 years old date palm tree yields about
50 to 60 kg per year. This yield increases with age and up 80 kg of fruits per tree can be
expected at the age 15 years
To cultivate date palms, it is very important to depend on irrigation.
The date palm plant starts giving fruits from teen to four years of age. In the third year, 50 to 60 kg of fruits are produced per plant when the plant is 5 years old and then it gives 100 kg to 120 kg per plant per year.
