Date palm

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other species of date palms, see Phoenix (plant) § Species.

Date palm
Date bunches on a palm
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Phoenix
Species:
P. dactylifera
Binomial name
Phoenix dactylifera
Synonyms[1]
  • Palma dactylifera (L.) Mill.
  • Phoenix chevalieri D.Rivera, S.Ríos & Obón
  • Phoenix iberica D.Rivera, S.Ríos & Obón

Phoenix dactylifera, commonly known as the date palm,[2] is a flowering-plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae, cultivated for its edible sweet fruit called dates. The species is widely cultivated across northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, and is naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.[3][4][5] P. dactylifera is the type species of genus Phoenix, which contains 12–19 species of wild date palms.[6]

Date palms reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming a clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100 years of age when maintained properly.[7] Date fruits (dates) are oval-cylindrical, 3 to 7 centimetres (1 to 3 inches) long, and about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter, with colour ranging from dark brown to bright red or yellow, depending on variety. Containing 61–68 percent sugar by mass when dried,[8] dates are very sweet and are enjoyed as desserts on their own or within confections.

There is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Arabia from the 6th millennium BCE.[9] The total annual world production of dates is 8.5 million metric tons (9.4×10^6 short tons), countries of the Middle East and North Africa being the largest producers and consumers.[10] Dates are "emblematic of oasis agriculture and highly symbolic in Muslim, Christian, and Jewish religions".[9]

Description

Date palms reach up to 30 metres (100 feet) in height, growing singly or forming a clump with several stems from a single root system. Slow-growing, they can reach over 100 years of age when maintained properly.

pinnate
, with about 150 leaflets. The leaflets are 30 centimetres (12 inches) long and 2 cm (1 in) wide. The full span of the crown ranges from 6–10 m (20–33 ft).

The date palm is

dioecious, having separate male and female plants. They can be easily grown from seed, but only 50% of seedlings will be female and hence fruit-bearing, and dates from seedling plants are often smaller and of poorer quality. Most commercial plantations thus use cuttings
of heavily cropping cultivars. Plants grown from cuttings will fruit 2–3 years earlier than seedling plants.

tree rings
.
Leaves of the date palm

Dates are naturally wind-pollinated, but in traditional oasis horticulture and modern commercial orchards, they are entirely hand-pollinated. Natural pollination occurs with about an equal number of male and female plants. With assistance, one male can pollinate up to 100 females. Since the males are of value only as pollinators, they are usually pruned in favor of fruit-producing female plants. Some growers do not maintain male plants, as male flowers become available at local markets at pollination time. Manual pollination is done by skilled labourers on ladders, or by use of a wind machine. In some areas such as Iraq the pollinator climbs the tree using a special climbing tool that wraps around the tree trunk and the climber's back (called تبلية in Arabic) to keep him attached to the trunk while climbing.

Date fruits are oval-cylindrical, 3–7 cm (1–3 in) long, and 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄4 in) diameter, and when ripe, range from bright red to bright yellow in colour, depending on variety. Dates contain a single

Thoory
').

Genome

Germination of date palm

A draft genome of P. dactylifera (Khalas variety) was published in 2011[12] followed by more complete genome assemblies in 2013[13] and 2019.[14] The later study used long-read sequencing technology. With the release of this improved genome assembly, the researchers were able to map genes for fruit color and sugar content.[14] The NYU Abu Dhabi researchers had also re-sequenced the genomes of several date varieties to develop the first single nucleotide polymorphism map of the date palm genome in 2015.[15]

Etymology

The species name dactylifera 'date-bearing' is Latin, and is formed with the loanword dactylus in Latin from Greek daktylos (δάκτυλος), which means 'date' (also 'finger'),[16] and with the native Latin fero, which means 'to bear'.[17] The fruit is known as a date.[18] The fruit's English name (through Old French, through Latin) comes from the Greek word for 'finger', δάκτυλος,[16] because of the fruit's elongated shape.

Distribution

The place of origin of the date palm is uncertain because of long cultivation. According to some sources it probably originated from the Fertile Crescent region straddling Egypt and Mesopotamia[6] while others state that they are native to the Persian Gulf area.[19] Fossil records show that the date palm has existed for at least 50 million years.[20]

Ecology

Sooty mould, nymph and larval cuticle of Ommatissus lybicus, Oman
Further information: List of date palm diseases

A major palm pest, the red palm beetle (

sooty mould
formation.

In the 1920s, eleven healthy

which?] in a remote region of Nevada. Nine of these survived and in 1935, cultivars were transferred to the "U.S. Date Garden" in Indio, California. Eventually this stock was reintroduced to Africa and led to the U.S. production of dates in Yuma, Arizona, and Bard, California.[21]

Cultivation

Date production – 2021
(tonnes)
 Egypt 1,747,715
 Saudi Arabia 1,565,830
 Iran 1,303,717
 Algeria 1,188,803
 Iraq 750,225
 Pakistan 532,880
 Sudan 460,097
 Oman 374,200
 United Arab Emirates 351,077
 Tunisia 345,000
World 9,454,213
Source:
UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)[10]

Dates are a traditional crop throughout the Middle East and north Africa. Dates (especially Medjool and Deglet Nour) are also cultivated in the southwestern United States, and in Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.

Date palms can take 4 to 8 years after planting before they will bear fruit, and start producing viable yields for commercial harvest between 7 and 10 years. Mature date palms can produce 70–140 kilograms (150–300 pounds)[22][23] of dates per harvest season. They do not all ripen at the same time so several harvests are required. To obtain fruit of marketable quality, the bunches of dates must be thinned and bagged or covered before ripening so that the remaining fruits grow larger and are protected from weather and animals, such as birds, that also like to eat them.

Date palms require well-drained deep

sandy loam soils with a pH of 8–11 (alkaline). The soil should have the ability to hold moisture and also be free of calcium carbonate.[24]

Dates have been cultivated in the Middle East and the Indus Valley for thousands of years, and there is archaeological evidence of date cultivation in Mehrgarh, a Neolithic civilization in western Pakistan, around 7000 BCE[25] and in eastern Arabia between 5530 and 5320 calBC.[26] Dates have been cultivated since ancient times from Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt. The ancient Egyptians used the fruits to make date wine and ate dates at harvest.[citation needed] Evidence of cultivation is continually found throughout later civilizations in the Indus Valley, including the Harappan period from 2600 to 1900 BCE.[25]

One cultivar, the Judean date palm, is renowned for its long-lived orthodox seed, which successfully sprouted after accidental storage for 2,000 years.[27] In total seven seeds about 2000 years old have sprouted and turned into trees named Methuselah, Hannah, Adam, Judith, Boaz, Jonah and Uriel.[28] The upper survival time limit of properly stored seeds remains unknown.[29] A genomic study from New York University Abu Dhabi Center for Genomics and Systems Biology showed that domesticated date palm varieties from North Africa, including well-known varieties such as Medjool and Deglet Nour, share large parts of their genome with Middle East date palms and the Cretan wild palms,P. theophrasti, as well as Indian wild palms, Phoenix sylvestris.

An article on date palm tree cultivation is contained in Ibn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work, Book on Agriculture.[30]

Production

In 2020, world production of dates was 9 million tonnes, led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Algeria with 60% of the world total combined (see table).

Cultivars

Main article: List of date cultivars
Mazafati dates

A large number of

Deglet Noor, originally of Algeria; Yahidi and Hallawi of Iraq; Medjool of Morocco; Mazafati of Iran.[33]

Uses

Fruits

Dry or soft dates are eaten out-of-hand, or may be pitted and stuffed with fillings such as

champagne, for special occasions and religious times such as Ramadan. When Muslims break fast in the evening meal of Ramadan
, it is traditional to eat a date first.

Reflecting the maritime trading heritage of Britain, imported chopped dates are added to, or form the main basis of a variety of traditional dessert recipes including sticky toffee pudding, Christmas pudding and date and walnut loaf. They are particularly available to eat whole at Christmas time. Dates are one of the ingredients of HP Sauce, a popular British condiment.

In Southeast Spain (where a large date plantation exists including UNESCO-protected Palmeral of Elche) dates (usually pitted with fried almond) are served wrapped in bacon and shallow-fried. In Israel date syrup, termed silan, is used while cooking chicken and also for sweets and desserts, and as a honey substitute. Dates are one of the ingredients of jallab, a Middle Eastern fruit syrup. In Pakistan, a viscous, thick syrup made from the ripe fruits is used as a coating for leather bags and pipes to prevent leaking.

Nutrition

On average, date palm fruits contain 21% water, 75%

dietary minerals magnesium, manganese, and potassium, with other micronutrients in low amounts (table).[medical citation needed
]

The primary carbohydrates are monosaccharides, comprising glucose (23-30%), fructose (19-28%), and non-starch polysaccharides (7-10%) of the fruit's total weight.[36] The sucrose content is negligible.[37] A consumption of 100 grams of date palm fruits contributes approximately 11%, 16%, and 24% of the daily Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for energy, simple carbohydrates, and non-starch polysaccharides, respectively.[36]

The glycemic index (GI) for different varieties of the date palm fruit is in the range of 38-71, with 53 on average,[36][38] indicating dates are a relatively low GI food source.[39] The glycemic load (GL) value of date palm fruits, calculated for a serving size of three fruits (weighting 27 gramm) is 9 on average, indicating that dates have low GL.[36]

Like many other fruits, dates contain measurable levels of calcium oxalates.[40]

Antique date forks in rack

Forks

In the past, sticky dates were served using specialized small forks having two metal tines, called daddelgaffel in Scandinavia.[41] Some designs were patented.[42] These have generally been replaced by an inexpensive pale-colored knobbled plastic fork that resembles a date branch, which is traditionally included with numerous brands of prepackaged trays of dates, though this practice has declined in response to increased use of resealable packaging and calls for fewer single-use plastics.

Seeds

Date seeds are soaked and ground up for

N-nitroso-N-methylurea.[43]

Fruit clusters

Stripped fruit clusters are used as brooms. Recently, the floral stalks have been found to be of ornamental value in households.[44]

Sap

sap tapped from date palm in West Bengal, India

Apart from P. dactylifera, wild date palms such as Phoenix sylvestris and Phoenix reclinata, depending on the region, can be also tapped for sap.

The consumption of raw date palm sap is one of the means by which the deadly Nipah virus spreads from bats to humans.[45] The virus can be inactivated by boiling the sap down to molasses.[45] (In Malaysia, by contrast, the vector was found to be

pigs.)[45]

Leaves

In North Africa, date palm leaves are commonly used for making huts. Mature leaves are also made into mats, screens, baskets, and fans. Processed leaves can be used for insulating board. Dried leaf petioles are a source of cellulose pulp, used for walking sticks, brooms, fishing floats, and fuel. Leaf sheaths are prized for their scent, and fibre from them is also used for rope, coarse cloth, and large hats.

Young date leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable, as is the terminal bud or heart, though its removal kills the palm. The finely ground seeds are mixed with flour to make bread in times of scarcity. The flowers of the date palm are also edible. Traditionally the female flowers are the most available for sale and weigh 300–400 grams (10+1⁄2–14 oz). The flower buds are used in salad or ground with dried fish to make a condiment for bread.

Dates, Deglet Noor
Deglet Noor dates
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy1,180 kJ (280 kcal)
75 g
Sugars63 g
Dietary fiber8 g
0.4 g
2.4 g
Niacin (B3)
8%
1.274 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
12%
0.589 mg
Vitamin B6
10%
0.165 mg
Folate (B9)
5%
19 μg
Vitamin C
0%
0.4 mg
Vitamin E
0%
0.05 mg
Vitamin K
2%
2.7 μg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
3%
39 mg
Iron
6%
1.02 mg
Magnesium
10%
43 mg
Manganese
11%
0.262 mg
Phosphorus
5%
62 mg
Potassium
22%
656 mg
Sodium
0%
2 mg
Zinc
3%
0.29 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water20.5 g
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[46] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[47]

In culture

Further information:
Plants in Islam

In Ancient Rome, the palm fronds used in triumphal processions to symbolize victory were most likely those of P. dactylifera.[48] The date palm was a popular garden plant in Roman peristyle gardens, though it would not bear fruit in the more temperate climate of Italy.[49] It is recognizable in frescoes from Pompeii and elsewhere in Italy, including a garden scene from the House of the Wedding of Alexander.[49] In later times, traders spread dates around southwest Asia, northern Africa, and Spain. Dates were introduced into California by the Spaniards by 1769, existing by then around Mission San Diego de Alcalá, and were introduced to Mexico as early as the 16th century.[50]

Dates are mentioned more than 50 times in the Bible and 20 times in the Quran. Date palms holds great significance in Abrahamic religions. The tree was heavily cultivated as a food source in ancient Israel where Judaism and subsequently Christianity developed.[51] Date palm leaves are used for Palm Sunday in the Christian religion.

Many Jewish scholars believe that the "honey" reference in Exodus chapter 3 to "a land flowing with milk and honey" is actually a reference to date "honey", and not honey from bees.

Judea and the Jewish people.[55] The leaves are used as a lulav in the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.[56] They are also commonly used as the s'chach in the construction of a sukkah.[57]

In the Quran, Allah instructs Maryām (the Virgin Mary) to eat dates during labour pains when she gives birth to Isa (Jesus).[58] In Islamic culture, dates and yogurt or milk are traditionally the first foods consumed for Iftar after the sun has set during Ramadan.

In

Mandaean texts.[60]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ "Phoenix dactylifera L. — The Plant List". www.theplantlist.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Phoenix dactylifera". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Archived from the original on 4 March 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  4. ^ "Biota of North America Project, Phoenix dactylifera". Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  5. ^ "Phoenix dactylifera in Flora of China @ efloras.org". eFloras. Archived from the original on 20 April 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
  6. ^ a b Krueger, Robert R. "Date Palm Genetic Resource Conservation, Breeding, Genetics, And Genomics In California" (PDF). The Conference Exchange. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  7. ^
    ISBN 978-1-879906-78-5. Archived
    from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Dates, deglet noor". FoodData Central. USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS). Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. ^
    PMID 32076636
    .
  10. ^ a b "FAOSTAT: Crops". Elements:Production Quantity / Items: Dates. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
  11. ISSN 0008-4026
    .
  12. PMID 21623354
    .
  13. PMID 23917264
    .
  14. ^
    PMID 31615981
    .
  15. PMID 26549859
    .
  16. ^
    Perseus Project
  17. Perseus Project
    .
  18. ^ "Date Palm". 15 October 2008. HowStuffWorks.com.
  19. ^ "Date palm". iranicaonline.org. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Medjool: A Date to Remember". NPR. 17 October 2007. Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  21. ^ Allen, Lee (25 April 2014). "How One Indian Couple Saved 'The Fruit of Kings'". Indian Country News. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  22. ^ "The Date, Phoenix dactylifera". Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  23. ^ "Publications | Extension | University of Nevada, Reno" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  24. ^ "Date Palm – Phoenix dactylifera". www.growables.org. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  25. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-522243-2. Retrieved 30 July 2013.[page needed
    ]
  26. doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2011.11.022
    .
  27. ^ Fountain, Henry (17 June 2008). "Date Seed of Masada is Oldest Ever to Sprout". New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  28. PMID 32076636
    .
  29. ^ Bonner, Franklin T. (April 2008). "Chapter 4 Storage of Seeds" (PDF). Woody Plant Seed Manual, USDA FS Agriculture Handbook 727. National Seed Laboratory, 5675 Riggins Mill Rd, Dry Branch, GA 31020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2008.
  30. OCLC 780050566
    .
  31. ^ Hussain, Fazal; El-Zeid, A (1975). Studies on physical and chemical characteristics of date varieties of Saudi Arabia (Report). Ministry of Agriculture and Water, Saudi Arabia.
  32. ^ Nixon, R.W. (1954). "Date culture in Saudi Arabia". Ann. Date Growers' Instit. (31): 15–20.
  33. ISBN 978-0-470-27648-8. Archived
    from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  34. doi:10.1021/ie50319a016
    .
  35. ^ Forbes, Robert James (1971). Studies in Ancient Technology. Vol. 1. Netherlands: E.J. Brill. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
  36. ^
    doi:10.7860/JCDR/2020/43026.13442
    .
  37. PMID 27186159
    .
  38. PMID 21619670
    .
  39. PMID 12070575
    .
  40. ^ "Foods High in Oxalates". WebMD. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  41. ^ dragonflywink. "Jensen fork". Silver Salon Forums. SM Publications. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  42. ^ Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office. US Patent Office. 1953. p. 589. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
  43. PMID 23293467
    .
  44. doi:10.3329/ijarit.v4i2.22649
    .
  45. ^ a b c "The Nipah virus has a kill rate of 70%. Bats carry it. But how does it jump to humans?". Goats and Soda. NPR. 31 January 2023. Archived from the original on 27 December 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  46. ^ United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 28 March 2024.
  47. PMID 30844154.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  48. ISBN 978-0-660-19858-3
    .
  49. ^ a b Linda Farrar (1998). Ancient Roman Gardens. p. 141.
  50. S2CID 24146736. Archived
    from the original on 16 June 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  51. ^ a b James Hastings (1909). Dictionary of the Bible. The Monist. p. 675.
  52. ^ [1] Archived 4 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine, JEWISH ACTION Magazine, Winter 5765/2005 issue
  53. ^ Psalm 92.12
  54. OCLC 27266322
    .
  55. OCLC 457130327
    .
  56. OCLC 421411475
    .
  57. ^ "KKL Preparing for Distribution of "Schach"". Israel National News. 24 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
  58. ^ The Quran, Chapter 19 - verses 22-25 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, retrieved on Feb. 28 2015, So she [Virgin Mary] conceived him, and she retired with him to a remote place. And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a palm tree. she cried (in her anguish): 'Ah! would that I had died before this! would that I had been a thing forgotten and out of sight!' But (a voice) cried to her from beneath the (palm-tree): 'Grieve not! for thy Lord hath provided a rivulet beneath thee; And shake towards thyself the trunk of the palm-tree; it will let fall fresh ripe dates upon thee.'
  59. ^ Drower, E. S. (1960). The secret Adam: a study of Nasoraean gnosis. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  60. OCLC 1295213206. Archived
    from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 21 October 2022.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phoenix dactylifera.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Date Palm".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Date_palm&oldid=1219690943"