Basrah Journal For Date Palm Research

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is considered one of the most economically important trees due to its nutritional and cultural significance in various communities. Given the diversity of date palm cultivars and propagation methods, the need for scientific classification keys has increased to facilitate cultivar differentiation. This study aimed to investigate certain chemo-physiological and anatomical traits of ten date palm cultivars—five propagated via tissue culture (Barhi, Sukkary, Khalas, Zamli, and Maghrabi) and five propagated vegetatively (Barhi, Hassawi, Braim, Deiri, and Shukr)—to evaluate the biochemical content of their leaves, including plant pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids), carbohydrates, and amino acids, in addition to anatomical characteristics. The results revealed considerable variation among the cultivars in most of the traits studied, which can be considered distinctive and potentially used as taxonomic markers for cultivar identification

Plant-parasitic nematodes cause significant economic losses in agricultural production, leading to approximately 10-30% losses of the total global agricultural production value annually. In cases of severe infestation and soil contamination by nematodes, this percentage can reach 80% or more. The severity and type of damage caused by nematodes depend on different factors, such as the species of nematode, the variety of host plant, as well as, the environmental conditions. Among the many plants affected by nematodes, the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) stands out as particularly susceptible to several parasitic genera of nematodes, which cause significant economic losses, in addition to transmitting numerous fungal, viral, and other disease agents. Hence, the degree of infection varies among the pathogenic genera of nematodes affecting date palms, and the severity of symptoms depend on many factors, including those related to the parasite itself, the host, and environmental conditions and their interaction. Managing nematodes diseases, mainly requires the use of expensive chemical pesticides, which increases operational costs for farmers and affects the economic viability of agricultural production. Strategies to mitigate these losses include implementing good agricultural practices, including crop rotation and the use of resistant varieties, improving soil and water management, and employing biological control methods using beneficial organisms, such as fungi and bacteria that are antagonistic to nematodes. Solar soil sterilization is also used to reduce nematode severity.

The disease of date palm decline and death is one of the most prominent current phenomena in various orchards planted with date palms. The symptoms, severity, and rates of infection vary according to the variety. Symptoms of the disease may appear in the form of yellowing of a few leaves and then spread to more leaves over time. This leads to a delay in growth and deterioration of the palm tree, which can ultimately lead to death. One of the most important fungi found in soil is Fusarium. This genus includes dozens of species, including F. solani It has been mentioned in various studies that some fungal isolates are a major cause of this disease.
This article provides a general summary of the effect of the fungus F. solani on the decline and death of date palms, and sheds light on some of the disease symptoms caused by the fungus on date palms.

This experiment was conducted during the 2024 growing season at three locations in Basrah Governorate (Abu Al-Khasib, Al-Hartha, and Al-Zubair) to study the effect of agricultural site on the pigment and carbohydrate contents in the leaves of two date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars, Halawi and Sayer. The results showed that the cultivation site significantly affected the contents of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carbohydrates in the leaves of both cultivars. The Halawi cultivar grown in Al-Hartha exhibited the highest contents of chlorophyll a (1.64 mg•g⁻¹), chlorophyll b (0.65 mg•g⁻¹), total chlorophyll (2.20 mg•g⁻¹), and carbohydrates (6.95 mg•g⁻¹), followed by the Al-Zubair site with values of 1.57, 0.53, 2.10, and 7.06 mg•g⁻¹, respectively. In contrast, the lowest values for these traits were recorded at the Abu Al-Khasib site (1.06, 0.32, 1.36, and 6.19 mg•g⁻¹, respectively). Regarding the Sayer cultivar, the highest carbohydrate content was observed at Al-Zubair and Al-Hartha (7.86 and 7.53 mg•g⁻¹, respectively), while the lowest value was recorded at Abu Al-Khasib (7.05 mg•g⁻¹). However, this cultivar showed the lowest concentrations of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and total chlorophyll at the Al-Hartha site (0.85, 0.30, and 1.18 mg•g⁻¹, respectively). As for carotenoid content, the results indicated no significant differences among sites or between the two cultivars

The present study aimed to analyze the changes in cultivation and productivity of three commercial date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars (Barhi, Hillawi, and Khadrawi) propagated by offshoots in Basrah Governorate. Statistical data from the years 2000 and 2024 were compared across ten different locations within the governorate. The analysis included the number of trees, cultivated area, and production quantities, in addition to calculating the standard score and rate of change for each cultivar over the study period. The results showed that the number of Barhi date palm trees in Basrah decreased by 70.4% between the two years, accompanied by a 76.58% decline in production. In contrast, the Hillawi cultivar exhibited a 34.6% increase in tree number and a 9.86% rise in production. The Khadrawi cultivar showed a significant reduction of 65.0% in tree number and a 73.70% decrease in production. The comparison between the two study years revealed clear differences in trends among the cultivars: Hillawi followed a positive trend in both tree number and production, whereas Barhi and Khadrawi showed notable declines. Geographical variation in these changes was also evident, with Al-Zubair district recording the highest positive change in tree numbers, followed by Abu Al-Khasib, while Basrah city exhibited the most significant decline in tree numbers for some cultivars

Root rot disease in date palm nurseries and new plantations has raised serious concern among farmers in Basrah Governorate, Iraq. Date palm offshoots (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are particularly vulnerable to this disease. Pathogenicity tests identified Fusarium. oxysporum, Fusarium. proliferatum S1, Fusarium. proliferatum S2, and Fusarium fujikuroi were the causative agents of the root rot disease in date palm offshoots. Among them, F. oxysporum was the most virulent,, causing a severity index of 84.2% of root rot and a recorded severity level of 4 (root discoloration of up to 76% or more than one wilted leaf). In contrast, R. solani was the least pathogenic, with a disease severity percentage of 16.2%. In a dual-culture test on a PDA medium, Bacillus. subtilis exhibited antagonistic effects on the growth of F. oxysporum, leading to an 86% inhibition of mycelial growth development (1.2 cm diameter of colony growth fungus). The control(fungus alone) showed typical fungal growth (9 cm diameter for colony growth). Results from the greenhouse experiment indicated that plantlets treated with B. subtilis in conjunction with F. oxysporum showed increased production of indole acetic acid (IAA) and indole butyric acid (IBA) while the level of abscisic acid (ABA) was decreased compared to plantlets treated only with F. oxysporum.

The study was conducted in the field in the Abu Al-Khasib area of Basrah Province, during the 2024 growing season to evaluate the impact of the dubas bug (Ommatissus binotatus) population density of spring and autumn generations on infestation rates, total chlorophyll concentration and oviposition in three date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars: Barhi, Sayer and Halawi. Infestation rates were highest in the during the two generations of dubas bug (Barhi cultivar 9.62%), (Sayer 8.17%), and Halawi (8.67%). This suggests that infestation rates significantly increased throughout the spring generation, particularly between March and June. As a result of a diminished insect impact at this time, infestation levels during the autumn generation were significantly lower or even nonexistent in certain months. Chlorophyll concentration varied between the two generations; higher values were generally observed during the autumn generation across most cultivars. The Sayer cultivar recorded the highest mean chlorophyll content, reaching 4.82 mg/g during the spring generation and 4.70 mg/g during the autumn, exceeding the levels recorded in Halawi and Barhi. Oviposition rates were also higher in the spring generation compared to the autumn. Barhi exhibited the highest average egg density with 0.61 eggs/cm² leaf area in the spring, slightly decreasing to 0.58 eggs/cm² in the autumn, with relatively stable values across the other cultivars. These findings indicate that the spring generation of O. binotatus exerts a greater adverse effect on date palm trees in terms of infestation and oviposition, while the autumn generation shows a comparatively milder impact. Insect density was shown to be negatively correlated with chlorophyll content and positively correlated with egg deposition. Differential susceptibility was demonstrated by the cultivars: Sayer had a comparatively higher level of resistance, whereas Barhi was the most sensitive. These findings highlight how crucial it is to include seasonal variation in integrated pest management (IPM) plans designed specifically for date palm production.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined and individual effects of agricultural sulfur and humic acid on growth and some physiological traits of Barhi date palm offshoots irrigated with saline water of Shatt Al-Arab river. A field experiment was conducted using a factorial design that included ten treatments with different concentrations of humic acid (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 g palm-1) and sulfur (0 and 200 g palm-1). The results showed that the combined treatment of 100 g humic acid + 200 g sulfur recorded the highest number of leaves (7 leaves) and the highest leaf area (2.28 m²), compared to the control, which recorded the lowest values (3 leaves, 1.29 m²). The contents of chloride and sodium in the leaves decreased to 0.20 and 0.21 mg g-1, respectively, while the leaf calcium (60.1 mg g-1), potassium (4.55 mg g-1), and phosphorus (60.34 mg g-1) increased. Furthermore, the K/Na ratio increased to 22.75. Humic treatments led to increased chlorophyll content (the highest value was 4.214 mg L-1), while proline decreased to 13.98 µg g-1 at the highest humic and sulfur concentrations. The results indicated that, the interaction between sulfur and humic was effective in reducing the salinity stress and improving the physiological traits in date palms.