Liquid Pollination for Date Palm Production
Type: Technologies
Creation: 2021-05-31 09:33 Updated: 2023-01-04 20:37
Compilers: Joren Verbist
Reviewers: Rima Mekdaschi Studer, William Critchley
Country/ region/ locations where the Technology has been applied and which are covered by this assessment
- Country: Oman
- Region/ State/ Province: Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia; Qatar; Kuwait; Bahrain; United Arabic Emirates
- Map: View Map
Description of the SLM Technology
Short description of the Technology
Pollination of date palms is essential to ensure good quality yield. Currently, pollination is done manually: this is a costly process and dangerous. Mechanised Liquid Pollination (MLP) reduces variable costs by 80% and prevents causalities while maintaining yield.
Detailed description of the Technology
In the Middle East, the date palm is a common crop with significant cultural and economic value. Date palms are typically found in dry, arid and hot areas. Due to climate change in the form of high temperatures, heatwaves, increased water scarcity, harsh winds, poor pollination and the increase of pests, production problems are increasing. The International Center of Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA) acknowledged these challenges and led an initiative to address the key issues. One major challenge identified was the labour-intensive and dangerous practice of manual date palm pollination: a farmer climbs up the tree and spreads the pollen. This is expensive and dangerous. An alternative tested was mechanised liquid pollination. Pollen is mixed with water and then sprayed onto the inflorescence of the palm tree. The costs are reduced substantially, and there is a three times higher benefit-cost return. In addition, pollination is now less depending on the climate, thus more resilient to climate change.
Prior to pollinating, the male spathes are cut off to avoid the losses of pollen. This is done when the spathes begin to ripen. The spathe is brought to a temperature-controlled room to dry for few days. Then the inflorescence is opened and strands are left to dry further. As the moisture content of the inflorescence decreases, its flowers begin to open and the pollen is released. It is captured, and mixed with water. Pollination is then carried out mechanically with a pump system or drones.
Regarding the costs, based on 140 date palms per hectare this corresponds to 28 inflorescences required. These are processed into 560 grams of pollen following the methodology as described above. The cost per inflorescence is around 6 Omani Riyal (1 Omani Riyal = 2.6 USD). The actual pollination through a drone, also known as showering, costs around 150 Omani Riyal. Showering is done four times, with each consisting of an operation time of 3 hours, so 12 hours in total. In other words, the total cost per hectare for applying this liquid pollination through showering is estimated at around 518 Omani Riyal, or 1,350 USD. The purchase costs of a drone and the related devices is estimated at 8000 Omani Riyal.
To conclude, this innovation is very useful because it substantially lowers variable costs of date palm production and prevents the risks of accidents under the conventional method of pollination. However, the required investments are very large for individual farmers.
Information and data presented are partly made available through the project “Support to Date Palm Production in the Gulf Council Countries,” funded through the GCC General Secretariat by the member countries, managed by the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) and implemented in the Sultanate of Oman by the Directorate General of Agriculture & Animal Research.
Photos of the Technology
- 📍 Oman
- 🗓 2026-04-04
