Date Palm Pollen: Features, Production, Extraction and Pollination Methods

Abstract

Date palm pollen (DPP) plays a very important role in the fertilization process, since its viability and the pollination method influence on the quality, development, and yield of the fruit. In the present study, a broad review of its main characteristics, consumption, and DPP production are presented, as well as a description of its extraction methods and viability tests. The evolution of the pollination methods used in the date palm is also presented, from its natural pollination to the use of specialized mechanical and electrical devices, as well as the use of dry DPP and the current trend towards the use of DPP in liquid suspension. Likewise, the efficiency of the methods of natural pollination (wind); traditional (strands placement); dusting hand; dusting with manual, mechanical, or electric pollinator; and liquid pollination were evaluated from the fruit set percentage (FSP). Finally, starting from a scientometric analysis, the pollination methods were widely discussed, concluding that the dusting spraying of pollen suspension with liquid DPP is the pollination method that commonly presents the highest FSP, followed by dusting dry DPP with a motorized pollinator.

La extracción de polen, aplicación y efecto en la calidad del fruto de la palma datilera / Pollen extraction, application and effect on the quality of the date palm fruit

“…Métodos experimentales como el uso de globos comunes rellenos de polen y vuelos de aeronaves (Abdelouauhhab, 2002), se han utilizado con éxito, pero han sido económicamente poco costeables. Otro método experimental fue mediante el uso de una suspensión de granos de polen con agua, logrando porcentajes de amarre entre el 70 y 80% (Awad, 2010, Salomón-Torres et al, 2021 Figura 2D, siendo altos en comparación al método tradicional.…”

“…Recientemente se ha incrementado la polinización con polen con alguna suspensión en agua (Salomón-Torres et al, 2021).…”

Abscisic acid plays a key role in the regulation of date palm fruit ripening

“…The female flowers are borne on thin structures called rachillae, strands or spikelets, which themselves are borne on flat, tapering peduncles (also called rachises) originating in the axis of leaves that were developed during recent growing seasons (Fig. S1; Chao and Krueger, 2007; Salomón-Torres et al, 2021). In the agricultural practice, upon spathe fracture, the inflorescence is pollinated with pre-collected pollen (Lobo et al, 2014).…”

Effects of Pollination Interventions, Plant Age and Source on Hormonal Patterns and Fruit Set of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

“…Therefore, artificial or forced pollination is widely used in commercial date palm plantations to improve crop yield and quality [17]. A variety of artificial date palm pollination methods have been used to achieve optimal fruit set and yield benefits, including male strand placement (hand pollination), manual and mechanical pollen dusting, and pollen suspension methods [9,18]. Adopting a more appropriate and enhanced pollination method could save labor costs, increase pollen grain quantity, and increase fruit yield [19].…”