Fruit set, yield, and quality of three date palm cultivars influenced by spikelet load variation

Abstract

Date palm is a cross-pollinated perennial tree since it is a dioecious plant. Although natural pollination is feasible, artificial pollination is advised for a significantly higher yield and quality. In this study, the spikelet placement method of pollination was adopted, and different number of spikelets (one, three, five, seven, and nine) were placed in the female inflorescence of three date palm cvs., Khalas, Sheshi, and Barhi. The experiment was based on a two-factorial randomized complete block design with three replications. Although the highest spikelet load (nine) significantly affected all three cultivars' fruit set and yield-related characteristics, seven spikelets placed for pollination followed the higher attributes. The effect of spikelet loads alone did not significantly influence the fruit quality. All three date palm cultivars behaved independently and significantly differently for fruit set, yield, and physicochemical traits. The interaction of spikelet loads and cultivars showed that a higher spikelet load greatly influenced fruit yield and quality.