Date Palm Status and Perspective in Sudan

Abstract

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Sudan is an economic and food security crop. Estimated annual date production is about 431,000 mt (FAOSTAT 2010) which is far below the country’s potential. Sudan has been famous in the world for the production of dry dates. Its climatic transition from the extremely dry to humid conditions facilitates a parallel change in date cultivar distribution from dry dates in the north to semidry and soft dates southward. Palm and bunch management techniques, safer means of ascending date palms, and harvest, packing, and handling techniques are being improved. Six good local commercial cultivars are available, and research is coming up with better composition of cultivars by local selection and foreign introductions from tissue laboratories. Seven tissue culture laboratories are being developed for plant propagation, but these laboratories are not yet engaged in date palm propagation. No named local male date palms are known thus far, and males used for commercial pollination are random. Improvement of males by local selection and foreign introduction is in process. Sudan is still free from the devastating red palm weevil, but termites, scale insects, spider mites, storage pests, birds, and rodents are among the serious pests. Sudan is also free from the destructive bayoud disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis. Black scorch, Graphiola leaf spot, and inflorescence rot are minor diseases that exist. Sanitation is the current means for controlling these diseases. A line of government-owned Kareema factory is designed for packing dates, and new modern factories are to be erected. Date processing by-products are limited to vinegar and medicinal alcohol. Utilization of date palm parts has been known for a long time and is being developed. Date fruits are marketed locally.