During the cultivation of the date palm in vitro, a series of activities must be carried out, all of them focused on obtaining a final date of excellent quality that has nothing to do with the date produced by conventional date palms. We are talking about a gourmet product. The Medjoul variety of dates is one of the main varieties of dates that are produced worldwide, being one of the most appreciated by size, texture and flavor. It is considered the best date in the world. Well, the variety of Confitera dates, although not yet known internationally, has exactly the same characteristics in terms of size, texture and flavor as the Medjoul date.
Adequate planting framework . The planting frame has to be 7x7 meters. It is the right space for palms not to rub when palm trees are adults. Each palm tree has enough space to enjoy the sun, air, water and nutrients from the soil without having to compete for it with the closest palm trees.
Treatments prior to flowering . The flowering of these palm trees is sometimes especially affected by the incidence of fungal attack. Even before hatching of the bracts that protect the inflorescences, fungal attack occurs. For its elimination it is advisable to perform repeated treatments before flowering to keep the incidence of the fungus under acceptable levels. See the recommended preventive treatment in another of our BLOG news.
Pollination It is convenient to have one or more male pollen-producing palm trees in the plantation in vitro. With a male palm, more than a dozen female palm trees can be pollinated. Normally the wind and the bees are in charge of carrying out a natural pollination in the palm tree, but for greater safety we can also carry out an artificial pollination. This activity is known as macheado or entaconado. We take a piece of pollen bouquet and sprinkle it in the eye of the female palm, where the new leaves are born. We can also leave those corsages near the palm eye so that the wind is responsible for moving the pollen and pollination.
Irrigation and subscribers . Cultural practices, especially irrigation and fertilizer plans can have a huge impact on the levels of sugar accumulation of the date, modifying the time of harvest or even not allowing the fruit to reach sufficient levels of sugars. Water quality must be the best possible with a low concentration of salts. With respect to the subscribers, the manure of animal with straw supposes an excellent nutritional contribution for the palm tree and fertilizer for the earth.
Clarification of date clusters . What do you prefer, to have many dates in the palm tree but of small caliber or on the contrary to have a smaller amount of dates but that these are more fat and colorful ?. If you have chosen this last option then it is advisable to clear the clusters before proceeding with their subsequent bagging. This activity must be done before the date reaches its maximum size in immature phase (green color), approximately in the month of June, leaving 5-6 clusters of dates in each palm. It is also advisable to perform a slight thinning within each cluster so that they are not so loaded with dates and therefore can become fatter.
Bagging dates bunches . The bagging must be done after the first thinning of the clusters. A good date to do so is between the end of June and the month of July. For this, special bags called anti trip meshes are used, which carry micro perforations that allow air to circulate through the bag but do not let insects pass through. The main objective in the placement of the sacks, apart from avoiding the attack of the birds when the date begins to mature, is to prevent the attack of the "flaret" ( coccotrypes dactylifera ) which is a curculionido insect that attacks the fruit in its final phase of growth, piercing the date until it reaches the bone. As a result it falls to the ground. These bags are placed tied to the cluster at the top and closed at the bottom. Another cheaper solution than the bags, although not as effective is the placement of plastic bags that are also tied to the cluster at the top and open at the bottom so that the air can circulate well.
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