The one thing that represents the history, culture, heritage, religion, and agriculture of the United Arab Emirates is undoubtedly the dates. They have been an integral part of the existence of the country for near about 7000 years. In fact, it may not be incorrect to address UAE as the land of dates. This is because more than 70 per cent of the world’s dates are grown here. Various reports apparently stated that around 76,000 tons of dates are grown every year from about 44 million date palm trees in the country. These dates are grown by using various time and labour intensified processes under specific climatic conditions.
When it comes to climate, the UAE has two ecological zones; one is the coastal region having humid climatic conditions and the other one is the dryer region of the inlands. The dates are grown in the dryer region of the country as this region provides with the climate best suitable for the successful growth of the plant.
There are numerous ways to grow dates naturally. But in order to grow tens of thousands of dates on a regular basis, various sophisticated laboratory techniques are inculcated by farmers in the UAE. Tissue culture is one such technique which ensures the growth of necessary quantity of date plants and also helps in getting rid of various diseases that affect the plants. UAE is the hub of this business and has been using tissue culture from the late 1990s after the authorities offered tenders to companies for supplying plenty of tissue-cultured date palms.
Cloning of Female Date Palms
It is the female date palm plants that grow dates. Farmers do not waste their time in simply producing more and more plants only to find out that they are males. Hence, a process called cloning is carried out using the female plants. In this process, the female plants are cloned to generate offspring genetically identical to the parent plant. It typically involves cutting out small sections of the offshoots of the growing plants and then planting them separately in a nutrient rich medium before shifting them to the dark.
The UAE currently grows about 160 varieties of dates. Among these, Khalas, Barhi, Dabbas, Lulu, Fard, Khenaizi, Maktomi, Gaberi, and Sheesh are the most expensive ones. According to Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCD), shape, size, and taste of the dates determine their quality and price.
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