Date Palm Leaf Research Articles

Nitrate removal using different carbon substrates in a laboratory model

Agricultural fields have been frequently identified as major contributors of nitrate leaching into surface and ground waters. Tile drains can act as direct pathways, transferring leached nitrate to surface water. Bioreactor filters are useful for the removal of nitrate from drainage waters; however, these filters require an external carbon supply to sustain denitrification. In this study, four organic carbon sources including wood, barley straw, rice husks, and date palm leaf, were used to enhance denitrification and the effects of water velocity and influent nitrate concentration on the nitrate removal were evaluated. Cumulative nitrate removal was highest for the date palm leaf treatments and was lowest for the wood treatments. The effects were in decreasing order for date palm leaf, barley straw, rice husks, and wood, respectively. The performance of the biofilters improved with increasing influent nitrate concentration and decreasing water velocity, allowing for high nitrate removal rates to be achieved. The results showed that all of the treatments had reduced the effluent nitrate concentrations below the USEPA maximum contaminant level for drinking water of 45 mg L(-1) nitrate at the end of the study.

NATURAL LOCAL MEDIA AND THEIR EFFECT ON WATER REQUIREMENTS OF Ficus “HAWAII”

This study was carried out in the nursery of the Ornamental Plant Research Department, Horticulture Research Institute, Giza, Egypt during the period from February to November of the two successive seasons of 2009 and 2010. A factorial experiment, in a randomized complete block design (RCBD), with three replicates, was conducted, to investigate the effects of different watering regimes (irrigation with 300, 450 and 600 cm3/pot/week) comprising the main plot and potting media (peat moss, water hyacinth compost, rice hulls compost, date palm leaf compost and a mixture of the four components at equal volume parts) representing the sub-plots on Ficus nitida “Hawaii” plants grown in 25 cm dia. plastic pots. Results show that performance of plants grown in the mixed compost and watered with 450 cm3/pot/week was the best in all characters studied, followed by plants grown in the same medium and watered with either 600 cm3/pot/week (in the second position) or with 300 cm3/pot/week (in the third one). Performance of plants grown in rice hulls compost and watered with 450 cm3/pot/week came in the fourth rank, followed by those grown in peat moss and watered either with 450 or 600 cm3/pot/week, occupying the fifth position in this concern. In contrast, plants grown in date palm leaf compost and watered with 300 cm3/pot/week scored the lowest records in almost all parameters studied, preceded by those grown in the same medium and watered either with 450 or 600 cm3/pot/week.

A Simple Method for DNA Extraction from Mature Date Palm Leaves: Impact of Sand Grinding and Composition of Lysis Buffer

Molecular marker techniques have been widely used for cultivar identification of inbred date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.; Arecaceae) and biodiversity conservation. Isolation of highly pure DNA is the prerequisite for PCR amplification and subsequent use such as DNA fingerprinting and sequencing of genes that have recently been developed for barcoding. To avoid problems related to the preservation and use of liquid nitrogen, we examined sterile sand for grinding the date palm leaves. Individual and combined effects of sodium chloride (NaCl), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and lithium chloride (LiCl) with the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method for a DNA yield of sufficient purity and PCR amplification were evaluated in this study. Presence of LiCl and PVP alone or together in the lysis buffer did not significantly improve the DNA yield and purity compared with the addition of NaCl. Our study suggested that grinding of date palm leaf with sterile sand and inclusion of NaCl (1.4 M) in the lysis buffer without the costly use of liquid nitrogen, PVP and LiCl, provides a DNA yield of sufficient purity, suitable for PCR amplification.

A Study on Using Date Palm Fibers and Leaf Base of Palm as Adsorbents for Pb(II) Ions from Its Aqueous Solution

The adsorption of lead onto date palm fibers (palm fibers) and leaf base of palm (petiole) has been examined in aqueous solution by considering the influence of various parameters such as contact time, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, particle sizes, ionic strength, and temperature. The adsorption of Pb(II) increased with an increase of contact time. The optimal range of pH for Pb(II) adsorption is 3.0–4.5. The linear Langmuir and Freundlich models were applied to describe the equilibrium isotherms, and both models fitted well. The monolayer adsorption capacity of Pb(II) on palm fibers and petiole was found as 18.622 and 20.040 mg/g, respectively, at pH 4.5 and 25°C. Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm model was also applied to equilibrium data. The mean free energy of adsorption (2.397 and 4.082 kJ/mol) onto palm fibers and petiole, respectively, may be carried out via physisorption mechanism. Pseudo-first-order rate equation and pseudo-second-order rate equation were applied to study the adsorption kinetics. In comparison to first-order kinetic model, pseudo-second-order model described well the adsorption kinetics of Pb(II) onto palm fibers and petiole from aqueous solution. From the results of the thermodynamic analysis, Gibbs free energy ΔG, enthalpy change ΔH, and entropy ΔS were determined. The positive value of ΔH suggests that interaction of Pb(II) adsorbed by palm fibers is endothermic. In contrast, the negative value of ΔH indicates that interaction of Pb(II) ions by petiole is exothermic. The negative value of ΔG indicates that the adsorption of Pb(II) ions on both palm fibers and petiole is a spontaneous process.

Mechanical pulping for manufacture of hand made paper from Date-Palm leaves (Phoenix dactylifera - L)

The present paper highlights the production of pulp from agro-residues by mechanical pulping for the benefit of Indian paper industry. Date-Palm leaf (DPL), a renewable agro-residue is an excellent raw material for making pulp and paper of different grades due to high alpha cellulose (50-58%) and hemi cellulose contents (26-32%). These constituents play a stellar role in mechanical pulping i.e. in beating operation without using any chemical. Ultimate fibre length (1.25 mm to 2.50 mm) is also higher than fibres of other agro-residues, recycled cotton rag and paper. Yield and mechanical properties of the pulp of 100% DPL fibre obtained by mechanical pulping process attained higher values as compared to its blends with recycled cotton rag. Chemo-mechanical process is costly and not environment friendly. Moreover, yield and mechanical properties of the paper obtained in this process are poor. Hemi cellulose (more than 25%) and non-cellulosic polysaccharide which exist in cell wall of fibres contribute to efficient beating operation and fibre bonding. Hemi cellulose also contributes largely towards higher burst index, tensile index and folding endurance to the pulp sheet specially produced without using any chemical in the entire process.

A Stone Oil Lamp with Seven Nozzles from the Late Second Temple Period – First Century CE

A circular oil lamp 22 cm in diameter with seven nozzles was archaeometrically studied to verify its authenticity. It is made of silica-enriched limestone of the Early Senonian sequence exposed in the Jerusalem area. Traditional Jewish decorations are carved in the upper part of the lamp: a seven-branched menorah (candelabrum), wheat ear, a basket with figs, pomegranates, date palm tree, grape leaf and grapes, olive branches and barley ear. This oil lamp is the product of the Jewish limestone industry that flourished during the late Second Temple Period in Jerusalem (first century CE), related to religious purity laws. The prevalence of malleable silicified limestone in the Jerusalem environs and sophisticated processing techniques such as use of a lathe facilitated the production of this stone oil lamp. The distribution of the chemical elements of the patina is identically to the stone. The multi-layered patina attached firmly to the lamp‘s outer and inner surface and the microcolonial fungi structures a...

Acquisition of callogenic capacity in date palm leaf tissues in response to 2,4-D treatment

While callogenesis in date palm can be initiated by culturing immature leaf segments on medium containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), it is difficult to obtain callus from certain genotypes. To better understand the mechanisms of callogenesis in date palm, we studied the developmental events underlying this process at the cellular level. The callogenic capacity of leaf segments depends on the state of cell differentiation. The most callogenic segments were within the leaf elongation zone, required polar auxin transport to initiate callogenesis and contained the highest quantities of free endogenous indole-3-acetic acid. At the cellular level, callus induction involves two spatially and temporally separated events. The first event involves cells from the fascicular parenchyma in an equatorial plane perpendicular to the vascular axis that within 2 days of culture in the presence of 2,4-D, acquire structural and ultrastructural features typically observed in meristematic cells. The second event occurs 3 days later and is characterised by the modification of adjacent perivascular sheath cells. The latter cells become callogenic in that they reinitiated their cell cycles and undergo cell division leading to callus formation. These data provide evidence that callus initiation in leaf vascular tissue of date palm involves a sequential response of two distinct cell types to auxin and requires polar auxin transport.

Callogenesis and rhizogenesis in date palm leaf segments: are there similarities between the two auxin-induced pathways?

In date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L. cv. Ahmar, Arecaceae), as for many monocotyledons, callogenesis is a prerequisite for the initiation of somatic embryogenesis, and requires the presence of auxin in the medium. Immature leaf explants were cultivated in medium supplemented with either 1 or 54 μM 1-naphtaleneacetic acid in order to induce either rhizogenesis or callogenesis. Histological studies performed throughout the culture period established that precocious cell reactivation is similar in both morphogenetic pathways. Early cytological modifications are associated with cell reactivation and are observed in the pluripotent cells of perivascular sheaths. Divergence between the callogenesis and rhizogenesis pathways is observed later, during the subsequent determination and morphological differentiation phases. We established that in date palm, the rhizogenesis and callogenesis pathways are initiated from the same cell type, the ultimate developmental fate depending upon auxin concentration.

Protein extraction from Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves, a recalcitrant material, for two‐dimensional electrophoresis

This work was aimed at optimizing a protein extraction procedure for date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) leaves, a highly recalcitrant plant tissue for 2-DE. Five protein extraction protocols based on different protein precipitation agents (TCA/acetone vs. phenol (Ph) methods) and protein resolubilization methods (physical treatments, e.g., sonication, shaking and/or heating) were tested. Ph/SDS extraction with methanol/ammonium acetate precipitation, followed by DOC preincubation and TCA/acetone precipitation and, finally, solubilization by shaking in rehydration solution was found to be the best protein extraction method. We conclude that DOC with TCA/acetone precipitation step eliminates interfering compounds, thus allowing efficient resolubilization of date palm leaf proteins. This method could be appropriate for proteomic studies such as date palm colonization by entomopathogenic fungi.

Physico-mechanical Properties of Date Palm Leaf Particle Board

Particle board of different sizes (150x 150 x 12.5]mm, (250 x 250 x 12.5) mm and (600 x 600 x 12.5) mm, both on bench scale and on large scale basis was prepared from Date-palm leaves, Phoenix Dactylifera L, the renewable agrowaste, having ultimate fibre length of 1.25 - 2.50 mm and a cellulose content of about 60%. Two types of synthetic resins (Urea Formaldehyde and Phenol Formaldehyde) were used in various concentrations. The physico-mechanical properties viz. density, average thickness, swelling in water, impact strength, tensile strength of the boards were measured and compared with that of the jute stick particle board and wood board. Boards prepared using the PF resin showed higher mechanical properties and low swelling in water as compared to other particle boards. The treatment with 1.5% paraffin wax (used as the water repellent chemical) reduced the swelling of the boards in the water.

Voluntary intake and in vivo digestibility of different date-palm fractions by Murciano-Granadina (Capra hircus)

The voluntary intake and in vivo digestibility of three different date-palm fractions by Murciano-Granadina goats were studied as follows: leaflets (only leaflets from the leaves), leaflets plus rachis (whole leaves) and racemes (clusters or racemes without dates). A low content in crude protein (lower than 17 g crude protein kg−1dry matter) and ether extract (lower than 45 g ether extract kg−1dry matter), and a high crude fiber content (246–406 g crude fiber kg−1dry matter) characterized all the date-palm fractions. Leaflets plus rachis presented a significantly higher apparent digestibility for dry matter (P<0·01), organic matter (P<0·05), neutral detergent fiber (P<0·05) and gross energy (P<0·01) than the racemes, but did not show any significant difference with the leaflets. Leaflets plus rachis presented a higher apparent digestibility coefficient for gross energy and, consequently, a slightly higher digestible energy content (P<0·1) than leaflets or racemes. Dry matter and organic matter intakes were significantly higher in goats given the leaflets than in those given leaflets plus rachis or racemes (P<0·01). However, although the racemes presented significantly lower digestible organic matter (P<0·05) and digestible energy (P<0·01) intakes than the leaflets, no significant differences were found between the leaflets and the leaflets plus raquis. Consequently, despite their low nutritive value, date-palm leaf fractions could be used as an acceptable alternative to barley straw in diets for goats—especially leaflets and leaflets plus rachis.

Varietal behaviour and efficacy of different fungicides for the control of date palm leaf spot caused byGraphiola phoenicis

Abstract Seven date palm varieties were screened against leaf spot under field conditions at Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Results over 3 yr observations revealed that variety Khadrawi was resistant, contracting disease intensity less than 5%, four varieties, viz. Hallawi, Hayani, Shamran and Zaidi were found susceptible whereas Barhee and Medjool were highly susceptible to leaf spot. Eight fungicides were evaluated for their efficacy against leaf spot under field conditions. Data from 2 yr experiments revealed carben‐dazim at the rate of 0.2% to be most effective followed by thiophanate methyl, while captafol was less effective.

Field tests of porous fences in the regime of sand-laden wind

Wind blown sand in inhabited arid regions is a serious environmental problem. Some of the problems are encroachment of drifting sand on roadways, railway tracks, farms and other essential installations. One of the most effective methods for controlling sand drift is using porous fences. In this paper some results of porous fence tests conducted in the Jafurah sand sea in Saudi Arabia are presented. The field tests involved a snow type fence, date palm leaf fence and an innovative spire-shaped elemental fence called the Jet fence. The Jet fence, whose porosity increases with height, proved to be the most efficient. The optimal porosity of the snow type fence as a sand fence was found to be about 50%.