Basrah Journal For Date Palm Research

The study was conducted in the Care and Storage Laboratory of the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agriculture, to investigate the effect of ozone fumigation on the storage capacity of three date palm cultivars: Barhi, Khadrawi, and Habsi. The fruits were treated with ozone gas emitted from an ozone generator at a concentration of 5 ppm for durations of (0, 2, and 4) hours. The fruits were then packed in polyethylene bags with three replicates per sample. The experiment was designed using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD), and means were compared using the LSD test at a significance level of 0.05. The results showed that the Habsi cultivar recorded the lowest infection rate, the lowest weight loss percentage, and the highest total soluble solids (TSS) percentage (7.00%, 0.174%, and 76.10%, respectively). The results also indicated that treating fruits with ozone for 4 hours was superior in reducing infection rates, minimizing weight loss, and maintaining the TSS percentage, which were (1.56%, 0.129%, and 75.64%, respectively). Additionally, the results revealed that infection rates, weight loss percentages, and TSS percentages increased with prolonged storage duration.

Good nutrition depends mainly on the balance between the nutrients that the plant needs, whether these elements are already available in the soil or added in the form of foliar fertilizers for the plant. It is preferable to the plant, provided that other necessary factors are available. Therefore, this experiment was conducted in order to study the effect of spraying with the amino acid Glycine and thiamine on date palm seedlings from the seeds to determine their effect on some morphological and chemical properties. The concentrations of 50 and 100 mg.L-1 were sprayed. With the distilled water and the diffusion material only, the seedlings were sprayed twice the first time in March. The period between the two weeks was two weeks. Results showed that the paper spray with vitamin B concentration of 50 mg.L-1 increased the content of the leaves of the amino acid proline, For vitamin B-100 mg.L-1 leaves in the content of leaves of free amino acids, total dissolved phenols and dissolved protein.

The experiment was conducted on two-year-old tissue-cultured date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seedlings of the Barhi cultivar grown in pots to study the role of foliar glutathione application in mitigating salinity stress damage. Different concentrations of glutathione (0, 100, 200, and 300 mg L⁻¹) were applied as foliar sprays to the leaves of seedlings irrigated with two types of water: tap water (0.23 dS m⁻¹) and saline water with an electrical conductivity of 6.25 dS m⁻¹. The results showed that increased salinity levels led to a reduction in total chlorophyll content, along with significant increases in proline concentration and total soluble carbohydrate content. Additionally, saline water irrigation caused a significant increase in hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations, coupled with a reduction in the membrane stability index compared to plants irrigated with low-salinity water. However, treating the date palm seedlings with different concentrations of glutathione resulted in an increase in total chlorophyll content and a noticeable reduction in proline, total soluble carbohydrates, hydrogen peroxide, and MDA levels, as well as an improvement in membrane stability in salinity-stressed plants.

Plant tissue culture provides an important option for multiplying plants and improving their production within a limited period of time. Attention is drawn to ways to develop this technology and raise its performance level by involving other technologies such as nanotechnology. The case study was conducted in the tissue culture laboratory of the Date palm Research Centre at the University of Basrah to determine the biological effects of silver nanoparticles in combating pollution associated with tissue culture of date palms of the Sayer cultivar. The apical buds were grown in MS medium. Supplemented with plant growth regulators and AgNPs concentrations (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) mg.L-1 in addition to the control treatment free of AgNPs, The highest percentage of callus induction and the lowest percentage of contamination were indicated in the date palm tissue culture establishment stage, reaching 100% and 10%, respectively, in the 1 mg.L-1 treatment. The same treatment also recorded the highest average number of embryos, reaching 19.2 embryos. The highest average fresh and dry weight of callus reached 1.846 and 1.50 respectively, while the highest average number of embryos reached in treatments 1, 2 and 3 nano silver, with a significant difference from the other treatments. The values of these indicators decreased with the increase in the concentration of silver nanoparticles.

Nanomaterials are considered one of the promising modern tools for enhancing agricultural production and improving crop quality. In this context, nano zinc oxide plays a significant role as a catalyst for enhancing fruit traits and nutritional value. The study was conducted in one of the orchards in the Shatt Al-Arab district, Basrah Governorate, to evaluate the impact of nano-fertilizer (zinc oxide) on certain physiological, fruit, and productivity characteristics of date palm trees. Two concentrations of both nano zinc oxide and conventional zinc oxide fertilizers (250 and 500 mg.L⁻¹) were used, in addition to a control treatment with water sprayed on the leaves. The study demonstrated the superiority of nano-fertilizer over conventional fertilizer. The 250 mg.L⁻¹ concentration of nano zinc oxide showed a significant improvement over all treatments, enhancing fruit weight, volume, total soluble solids, total and reducing sugars, total soluble proteins, and yield by percentages of 29.16%, 28.61%, 11.00%, 5.65%, 7.96%, 16.00%, and 28.76%, respectively, while reducing sucrose content by 30.02%.

This study was conducted on the white scale insect Parlatoria blanchardi in the northern area of Basra Governorate / Al-Majidiyah, where four varieties of palm trees were tested: Barhi, Sayer, Halawi and Khadrawi. Laboratory experiments were carried out in the laboratories of the Plant Protection Department / College of Agriculture / University of Basra for the period from November 2022 to December 2023. The results showed that the variety with the highest population density of the insect is the Halawi variety for the months of December, January, February, March and April, and the population density was 217.1, 185.4, 126.1, 109.2 and 76.8 insects / inch2, respectively, and the Sayer variety had the lowest population density, as it was 61.9, 77.7, 73.7, 55.2, 21.7 and 26.1 insects / inch2 throughout the study period. The results showed that the upper surface of the palm leaf (Khosah) had a higher population density of the white scale insect by 167.3 insects/inch2 compared to the lower surface by 103.4 insects/inch2 for the studied varieties with a significant difference during the study period from November 2022 to April 2023. The study indicates that the Barhi variety is superior in the highest percentage of total chlorophyll, which reached 2.48 mg/g, and the lowest percentage of chlorophyll in the Sayer variety, 1.65 mg/g. For the phenolic content, the Sayer variety was superior in the highest phenolic content, which reached 20.47 mg/100 g, and the lowest phenolic content in the Halawi variety, which reached 20.24 mg/100 g. The highest wax content was recorded, reaching (2.773) mg/g for the Sayer variety, and the highest wax content was recorded for the Halawi variety, reaching (1.06) mg/g.

This study was conducted to characterize ten cultivars of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) grown in Basrah Governorate, focusing on protein patterns and the morphological, floral, and physical traits of fruits and seeds. Cluster analysis was used to determine the similarities and differences among the studied cultivars, which included: Howazaoui, Bream, Hadal, Khesab, Owedi, Shukr, Nabati, Maktoum, Shuwethi, and Khadhrawi. The cluster analysis of vegetative traits grouped the cultivars into two main clusters: the first included Shukr, Howazaoui, and Shuwethi, while the second included the remaining cultivars. A high degree of similarity was observed between Owedi and Maktoum, followed by Nabati and Khadhrawi. For floral traits, distinct groupings were identified: Owedi and Maktoum formed a separate cluster, while Khadhrawi, Khesab, and Hadal formed another, and Nabati, Maktoum, Howazaoui, Bream, and Hadal were grouped together in a third cluster. Regarding the physical traits of the fruits, the Bream cultivar was isolated in a single group, while the other cultivars were grouped together. The highest similarity was observed between Khadhrawi and Shuwethi, as well as between Owedi and Shukr. For protein patterns, the cultivars were divided into two main clusters: the first included Nabati, Khadhrawi, Bream, Hadal, and Shukr, while the second included the remaining cultivars. A notable similarity was found between Nabati and Khadhrawi, followed by Shukr and Hadal. The statistical analysis indicated a significant effect of the cultivar factor on most of the vegetative, floral, and physical traits studied, except for the number of spadices, which showed no significant effect in distinguishing between cultivars

This study was conducted in private orchards located in Abu Al-Khaseeb district, south of Basra Governorate, to evaluate the response of date palm trees (Bream cultivar) to biostimulant treatments. Two biostimulants, Amalgerol and Agazone, were tested at concentrations of 0, 6, and 12 mg.L⁻¹, using two application methods: foliar spray and soil drench. Results showed significant effects of these treatments on several fruit traits. Foliar spray application improved fruit length, size, weight, fleshy layer weight, dry matter percentage, maturity, and total and reducing sugars compared to soil application. The 12 mg.L⁻¹ Agazone treatment significantly enhanced fruit length, size, weight, fleshy layer weight, and sugar content, outperforming the control treatment, which had the lowest values. The 6 mg.L⁻¹ Agazone treatment was superior in increasing fruit diameter compared to the control treatment. Interaction effects between biostimulant concentration and application method were significant for most measured traits.

Aim of good soil and water management and the use of modern irrigation technology is to reduce water waste and increase the efficiency of its use, as it is important to adopt irrigation methods that ensure the balance of water salinity in the soil in proportion to crop growth and productivity. A field experiment was conducted in private date palm orchards in Hamdan/Abu Al-Khasib district, 10 km south of Basrah city, during the two growing seasons 2020-2021, on a land of 4 dunums, the aim of studying is the Impact of irrigation and mulching method on soil properties and date palm. The results showed that using irrigation from above by basin and drip irrigation led to an increase in soil moisture content, a decrease in soil electrical conductivity values, and an increase in palm productivity (weight, length, total sugars, and total yield) compared to using the traditional irrigation method (tidal). The results showed that the use of mulching for the irrigation basin significantly contributed to increasing the moisture content of the soil and decreasing the electrical conductivity values for different depths, especially when using mulching with polyethylene. The traditional irrigation method (tidal), which prepares water using subsurface irrigation, is no longer sufficient to provide the moisture necessary for the growth and productivity of palm trees. Therefore, other irrigation methods must be followed, such as using basin and drip irrigation, and improving environmental conditions using a soil mulching system.

Date palms are a valuable crop that is often grown on saline soils, which limits their development and yield. In this study, the effects of Kelpak seaweed extract on nutrient levels, photosynthetic pigments, and biochemical parameters in date palm leaves under salt stress were investigated. We applied different concentrations of Kelpak (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 ml L-1) to date palm plants exposed to salt stress. The results showed that when compared to the control treatment, the Kelpak treatment significantly increased nutritional levels in date palm leaves, including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and calcium (Ca). In addition, treatment with Kelpak extract increased the levels of photosynthetic pigments in the leaves, including chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoids, and this increase was associated with concentration increases. Moreover, biochemical analysis revealed that with increasing concentrations of Kelpak, total soluble protein and total soluble carbohydrates increased, whereas proline content decreased. According to the findings, Kelpak Seaweed extract boosted nutrient absorption, increased photosynthetic pigments, and altered biochemical markers related with plant development and stress responses. This study provides evidence that Kelpak may be a beneficial treatment for salt-stressed date palm plants. However, further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms of action and to optimize the application of Kelpak in date palm cultivation.