Whorl-Wise Variation in Spath Morphology and Fruit Physicochemical Characteristics of Date Palm (Phoenix Dactylifera l.) Cultivars Grown in Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the whorl-wise variation in vegetative and fruit physicochemical characteristics of six date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars, namely Zaidi 1, Zaidi 2, Hilawi, Basra, Dhakki and Gulistan grown at the Date Palm Research Orchard, Gomal University, D.I. Khan, Pakistan. The experiment was arranged in a split-plot design with three replications, where cultivars were assigned to the main plots and whorls (W1, W2 and W3) to the subplots. Pollination was performed using pollen from a single male source to eliminate pollen-source variability. Data were recorded on vegetative traits, including spath length, spath width, number of strands per spath, number of fruits per strand and number of fruits per spath as well as fruit physicochemical attributes, including fruit size, fruit weight, pulp weight, seed weight, moisture content and TSS. The results revealed that first whorl recorded the greatest spath length (141.28 cm), spath width (4.28 cm), and number of strands per spath (66.0). The second whorl produced the highest number of fruits per strand (19.56), number of fruits per spath (1196.0), fruit bunch weight (6.12 kg), fruit weight (10.59 g), pulp weight (9.68 g), fruit width (2.28 cm) and moisture content (53.89%). Among the cultivars, Dhakki exhibited superior performance, recording the maximum spath length (126.78 cm), spath width (4.81 cm), number of fruits per strand (24), fruit bunch weight (8.68 kg), fruit weight (20.28 g), pulp weight (20.0 g), fruit length (4.55 cm) and fruit width (2.44 cm). The highest fruit set (88.11%) was observed in Zaidi 2, whereas Zaidi 1 recorded the highest TSS (39.78 °Brix). Hilawi produced the maximum number of fruits per spath (1688) and the highest moisture content (61.33%), while Gulistan recorded the highest seed weight (1.54 g). Whorl position significantly affected vegetative growth, yield and fruit quality, while Dhakki proved to be the most promising cultivar for commercial cultivation under the agro-climatic conditions of Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan.

Keywords: Date palm, Hilawi, Basra, Dhakki, Fruit size, Pulp weight, TSS.