Effect of Pollen Source on Yield, Quality and Maturity of “Barhi” Date Palm

Abstract

To study the effects of pollen grain source on yield, maturity and fruit quality of “Barhi” date palm cultivar, three local and three commercial male trees were used in the 2002 season. Results indicated that pollinating trees with “Aqaba” male gave the least fruit set while those pollinated with “Boyer” and “Dayyat1” gave the highest set. In addition, the highest fruit weight recorded when trees were pollinated with “Mejhool” and “Aqaba” males; however, the least weight was with those pollinated with “Boyer”. The highest flesh weight % was for trees pollinated with “Aqaba” and “Barakah” while those pollinated with “Boyer” gave the least flesh %. Also, pollinating trees with “Barakah” hastened maturity of “Barhi” while pollinating trees with “Aqaba” delayed it. However, no effect was observed of pollen source on productivity of “Barhi” date palm.