Date palm, (Phoenix dactylifera), tree of the palm family (Arecaceae) cultivated for its sweet edible fruits. The date palm has been prized from remotest antiquity and may have originated in what is now Iraq. The fruit has been the staple food and chief source of wealth in the irrigable deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Spanish missionaries carried the tree to the New World in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Date palms are grown in the Canary Islands, northern Africa, the Middle East, Pakistan, India, Mexico, and the U.S. state of California.
Physical description
The date palm grows about 8 metres (25 feet) tall. Its stem, strongly marked with the pruned stubs of old leaf bases, terminates in a crown of graceful, shining, pinnate leaves about 3 metres (10 feet) long. Floral spikes branch from the axils of leaves that emerged the previous year. Male and female flowers are borne on separate plants. Under cultivation the female flowers are artificially pollinated. The date is a one-seeded fruit, or drupe, usually oblong but varying much in shape, size, colour, quality, and consistency of flesh, according to the conditions of culture and the variety. More than 1,000 dates may appear on a single bunch weighing 8 kg (18 pounds) or more.
Uses
Our horticulture department is engaged in supply of high genetically date palm saplings of various varieties in India. Our date palm production facilities are located in the UK. We have a modern nursery spread over approx 10 acres of land in , Madhya pradesh and demonstration farms of date palms cultivated by us in 100 acres in Panjab, and 125 acres in Rajasthan.
Date Palm also called the ‘Blessed Tree’ is a very important crop for the arid regions with a long life of more than 60 years. This crop has the potential of changing the economy and ecology of the arid regions. Besides providing food and health it is a means of survival and livelihood as each part of this tree is consumed in daily life by people of arid regions. It is a robust plant which can withstand harsh agro-climatic conditions of high pH, high salinity, high temperature, sand storms, etc. Mass propagation of high genetically Date Palms will help farmer to get better returns per acre, slow down desertification, alleviate microbial development in soil & improve soil condition, generate rural employment, ensure food & nutrition security for the state and save valuable foreign exchange being spent for import of date fruit at present.
Date fruit is one of the most nutritious food with each kilogram of dates containing about 2970 calories against required 3000 calories by an average working human being. It has sugar, proteins, lipids, fibers, vitamins, carbohydrates, etc. It has several medicinal attributes too. Hence it is termed a ‘Complete Food’. It has been the secret behind survival of the Arab community in extreme arid conditions prior to discovery of oil in the Middle East. Incidentally India is the largest importer of date fruit in the world.
As a part of our green initiative 'Greening the Deserts',Prash bio technology is the largest supplier of these high quality date palm plants in the nation today. We have developed more than 550 acres of demonstration farms at Rajasthan & Gujrat and farmer fields in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Panjab Mdhya pradesh & other states of India, Besides our date palm laboratory at the UK, we have also set-up up a world class laboratory at Jalandhar under Government of panjab, based on overseas technology. This state-of-the-art plant high genetically laboratory.
We have a full technical team of qualified and experienced scientists, field extension personnel, agriculturists & horticulturists, plant pathologists, etc who will extend all the required technical assistance for successful cultivation of High genetically date palm plants in India.
We would be happy to supply you hardened high genetucally date palm plants of different varieties. Our technical personnel can guide your team on the farm development and plantation procedures. Generally speaking you can cultivate 172 date palm plants on 1 hectare land (approx 69 plants in one acre) on 25 x 25 fit spacing between each plant in every direction.
All parts of the date palm yield products of economic value. Its trunk furnishes timber; the midribs of the leaves supply material for crates and furniture; the leaflets, for basketry; the leaf bases, for fuel; the fruit stalks, for rope and fuel; the fibre, for cordage and packing material; and the seeds are sometimes ground and used as stock feed. Syrup, alcohol, vinegar, and a strong liquor are derived from the fruit. The sap is also used as a beverage, either fresh or fermented, but, because the method of extraction seriously injures the palm, only those trees that produce little fruit are used for sap. When a palm is cut down, the tender terminal bud is eaten as a salad.
