Abstract
The date palm was introduced into Australia by seed in the late nineteenth century. Despite favourable conditions in several parts of the country, plantation scale date fruit production did not occur. Later introductions of offshoots and more recently tissue cultured plantlets set the stage for a new effort to establish a date industry. The Riverland region of South Australia is suitable for commercial production, although the climate may not be ideally hot enough to ripen late ripening varieties. The Gurra Downs Date Company was created in 1996 with a focus on early maturing tissue-cultured varieties bearing fruits which can be consumed fresh at khalal and at rutab (ripe) stage. Light commercial production of Barhee and Medjool fruits began in 2010 and continues to expand and will include other cultivars in the coming years. Success of the venture could stimulate plantation date growing in other parts of the country and Australia could become self-sufficient in date fruits and enter the international markets taking advantage of counter-seasonal production.
Highlights
Given the magnitude of the international trade in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit, it is surprising that Australia has not utilized its hot, dry inland regions to establish a substantial date industry
The only elite cultivars in the country were located in Central Australia; offshoots were unavailable because of strict quarantine regulations due to the palms being infested with date scale (Parlatoria blanchardii), a declared pest of the Northern Territory, and interstate plant shipments were prohibited
Gurra Downs has been involved in some interesting date-related projects, which have helped to publicize and promote the crop in Australia. These activities have represented teaching and learning experiences and included: a) Establishing a demonstration and training site at SuniTAFE Horticultural College in Mildura, Victoria, where students get the opportunity to work with date palms b) Evaluation project at the Arid Zone Research Institute at Alice Springs, Northern Territory (Figure 10) where new date cultivars are being evaluated alongside those imported in the 1980s c) Worked with indigenous Aboriginal communities in remote parts of inland Australia d) Waste water reuse projects to manage date palms and to utilize waste water streams from large wine-making facilities in the Riverland and Perth, Western Australia e) Irrigation waste water reuse project f) Trials of the application of silica on date palms for increased plant performance (Phillips, 2014)
Summary
Given the magnitude of the international trade in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) fruit, it is surprising that Australia has not utilized its hot, dry inland regions to establish a substantial date industry. The only elite cultivars in the country were located in Central Australia; offshoots were unavailable because of strict quarantine regulations due to the palms being infested with date scale (Parlatoria blanchardii), a declared pest of the Northern Territory, and interstate plant shipments were prohibited.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
