Abstract
ABSTRACT
 Studies on the effect of transplanting methods and NP – fertilizer rates on leaf length of a female date palm offshoot have been conducted over a period of 25 months (September, 2017 – September 2019). The trial was sited at the Date Palm Research Sub – station/ Federal University Dutse (11o50’N, 09o25’E) in the Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria. The treatments consisted of two transplanting methods (Direct: detachment of offshoot from the parent palm and directly transplanting into the field, and Indirect: detachment of offshoot from the parent palm and keeping in the nursery for 3 months before transplanting into the field) and five NP fertilizer rates Control (0g N + 0g P), 80g N + 40g P, 160g N + 80g P, 240g N +120g P and 320g N + 160g P) arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Indirect transplanting of date palm through nursery proved more effective than direct transplanting as it produces statistically longer leaves which are an indication of better chances of crop survival, establishment and yield. Rate 320g N +160g P statistically outperformed other rates in the production of longer leaves throughout the sampling periods. Interaction between transplanting methods and fertilizer rates was highly significant in most of the sampled periods except in June and September, 2019. A combination of indirect transplanting method with rate 320g N +160g P that produced longer leaves is recommended for adoption in the Sudan Savannah ecological zone of Nigeria.
Highlights
Date palm, (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a monocotyledon of the family Palmae or Arecaceae
Zaid and Dewet (2005) established that, growth of date palm offshoot is proportional to its leaf area which is influenced by leaf length
The trial was sited at the Date Palm Research Substation/ Federal University Dutse (11o50’N, 09o25’E) in the Sudan Savanna ecological zone of Nigeria
Summary
Date palm, (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a monocotyledon of the family Palmae or Arecaceae. Date palm fruits are berry containing a single seed, enclosed by fibrous parchment like – endocarp (Al-alawi, 2020). It is a dioecious tree plant, with a male and female flower on a separate plant. Offshoot propagation produce offspring that are true to type with the parent palm, ensuring reliability and profitability of production. Leaf length is associated with increased photosynthesis capacity of a crop and is a good measure for offshoot establishment. The longer the leaves, the more it receives solar radiation for active photosynthesis and the more photosynthetic materials are produced by the crop (Hodder and Stoughton, 1991). Zaid and Dewet (2005) established that, growth of date palm offshoot is proportional to its leaf area which is influenced by leaf length
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