Pollen from four date palm cultivars (Medjool, Zahidi, Khadrawy, and Deglet Noor) was selected to study the effect of pollenizers on Medjool female production and fruit characteristics. The study was conducted during the 2016 season in San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico. Three bunches of each of the four selected female palms were pollinized by each source of pollen. Results were statistically analyzed using the ANOVA test. Set percentage and fruit characteristics showed a significant effect depending on the selected pollenizer. Bunches pollinized with the Zahidi cultivar had the highest fruit set percentage at 50.30%, while bunches pollinized with the Khadrawy cultivar had the lowest set percentage at 13.25%. However, bunches pollinized with Khadrawy had the highest total weight (25.73 g), the highest weight of pulp (23.98 g), and the highest length (5.33 cm). The lowest weight of fruit (21.73 g), lowest pulp (20.39 g), and lowest fruit length (4.97 cm) was obtained from bunches pollinized with the Zahidi cultivar. The highest total yield was obtained with Zahidi pollen at 64.55 kg, while the lowest total yield, 41.79 kg, was obtained with Deglet Noor pollen. Total soluble solids, bunch weight, and seed diameter did not show significant variation. The best pollenizers for the Medjool cultivar in terms of fruit set and quality characteristics are the Zahidi and Khadrawy varieties. This study allowed for the identification of fruit characteristics according to the pollenizer used. These results can be used to strategically reach high yields in Medjool date cultivar.

The objective of the present work was to investigate the influence of pollen sources over chemical characteristics of the Medjool date cultivar. The study was conducted under conditions of the Northwest part of Mexico, during the year 2016 cultivation season. The content of nutrients (protein, lipids, fiber and ash), sugars (total, reducing, non-reducing, sucrose, glucose and fructose), and most abundant minerals were evaluated. Three bunches of each of the four selected female palms Medjool cultivar were pollinated with Deglet Noor, Khadrawy, Medjool and Zahidi cultivars, and their fruit were used for the analyses. Results show low concentrations of lipids and ash (0.68-0.80% and 2.49-2.82%, g/100 g dry weight basis), while protein and crude fiber were in the range of 2.92-3.35% and 6.86-7.29%, respectively. In addition, a high content of total sugars (77.78-70.04%) were found. The predominant mineral was potassium with a range of 794.30 (Khadrawy)-869.93 mg/100 g dry weight basis (Deglet Noor), followed by magnesium with 136.72 (Medjool)-150.10 mg/100 g dry weight basis (Khadrawy). An analysis of total phenols revealed that the Khadrawy cultivar had the highest content, with 5.30 (mg GAE/100 g) and the lowest was for Zahidi with 3.82 (mg GAE/100 g). The Khadrawy cultivar had the highest effects on the chemical parameters of the four evaluated treatments. Therefore, pollen source has a significant effect on the chemical properties of the fruit from the Medjool cultivar.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pollen source on the nutritional composition of seeds of the 'Medjool' date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) under conditions of northwest Mexico. The content of nutrients (protein, lipids, fiber, and ash), sugars (total, reducing, and non-reducing), and most abundant minerals, were evaluated, as well as antioxidant activities. The pollen of four cultivars ('Deglet Noor', 'Khadrawy', 'Medjool', and 'Zahidi') was selected. Four groups of three bunches were pollinated in each of the female palms. For the four treatments, the following ranges were obtained: Seeds had a weight of 1.32-1.41 g and low concentrations of protein (4.44-5.49 g/100 g) and lipids (9.62-10.19 g/100 g). The content of dietary fiber and ash was 59.65-72.59 g/100 g and 1.09-1.42 g/100 g, respectively. Total sugars content was 4.50-6.96 g/100 g, while the insoluble solids were 92.21-96.03 g/100 g. The predominant mineral was potassium with 399.97-459.79 mg/100 g dry weight, followed by sulfur with 135.51-162.67 mg/100 g dry weight. Finally, for antioxidant activities, DPPH (2,2 -diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2 -azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) assay results were 0.0014-0.0094 IC 50 g/L and 0.176-0.299 IC 50 g/L, respectively. The pollen sources had an effect on the physicochemical properties of the seeds of the 'Medjool' cultivar date. However, some of the parameters (diameter, total acidity, pH) did not show statistically significant differences. The pollen sources from the 'Khadrawy' and 'Medjool' cultivars were the ones that induced differences in physical, proximate, and nutritional parameters, while pollen from the 'Zahidi' source induced the largest differences for minerals. The results suggest that selection of the source of pollen has a significant effect on the nutritional properties of the date seed from the cultivar 'Medjool', and that its use could be feasible as a functional food or by-product of the date production.

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El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar el efecto del macho polinizante sobre la composición química del dátil cultivar Medjool. Se seleccionó el polen de cuatro cultivares criollos (Medjool, Zahidi, Khadrawy y Deglet Noor). Se polinizaron cuatro grupos de tres racimos, en cada una de las palmas hembras receptoras seleccionadas. Se evaluó el fruto resultando con humedad (19.75– 27.38%), bajas concentraciones de proteína y lípidos (2.92–3.35% y 0.68–0.80% respectivamente). El contenido de fibra cruda y ceniza fue 6.86–7.29% y 2.49–2.82% respectivamente. El mineral más abundante en el fruto fue el potasio con un rango de 794.30–869.93 mg/100g, seguido por el magnesio con 136.72–150.10 mg/100g. El análisis de fenoles totales revelo que el fruto tiene una composición de 3.82–5.30 mg GAE/100g. La fuente de polen Khadrawy tuvo los más altos efectos en los parámetros químicos evaluados. Los resultados sugieren que la selección de la fuente de polen tiene un efecto significativo en las propiedades nutricionales del dátil.