Dates Quick Facts Name: Dates Scientific Name: Origin Native to North Africa. It is originated in region of Persian gulf- Arabian peninsula, Northern Africa and Northwest India. Colors Bright red to bright yellow Shapes Oval to cylindrical, 3 to 7 cm long and 2 to 3 cm diameter Calories 66 Kcal. Common names of Dates are Date Palm and Wild Date Palm. It is considered to be originated in region around Persian gulf- Arabian peninsula, Northern Africa and Northwest India. Since ancient times, dates have been cultivated from Babylonia and Mesopotamia to prehistoric Egypt as early as 4000 BCE. Ancient Egyptians used dates to make wine. Dates were vital as a food, making fermented beverage and a source of building material. The medium sized tree forms a clump or grows singly having several stems from single root system. The stout, fibrous and overlapping stems grow from 15 to 25 meters tall. Leaves measures 3 to 5 meters long having spines on petiole and pinnately compound having 150 leaflets. Leaflets are 2 cm wide and 30 cm long. The plant bears male and female flowers separately and is pollinated by wind. In commercial production, the pollination is done with hands and propagated by cuttings in order to diminish number of male trees. Fruits are 3 to 7 cm long, 2 to 3 cm diameter and are oval to cylindrical in shape. Fruit consists of single seed measuring 6 to 8 mm thick and 2 to 2. Soft, semi-dry and dry are the three main cultivar groups of date that exists. Dates are a great source of potassium and sugars and are consumed fresh or added to desserts or foods. Besides its flavor, it provides numerous health benefits. It is a great source of minerals, fiber and vitamins and could provide relief from diarrhea, constipation and other intestinal problems. Dates are used to promote development of muscles, even sexual dysfunction and promote weight gain. History of Dates The date palm is considered to possess originated from the lands round the Persian Gulf as well as in medieval times was particularly plentiful between the Nile as well as Euphrates rivers. Alphonse de Candolle stated that this ranged in the prehistoric era from Senegal to the basin of the Indus River within northern India, particularly in between latitudes 15 as well as 30. There is certainly ancient proof of farming in eastern Arabia within 4,000 B. It absolutely was much adored as well as thought to be symbolic of fertility, as well as shown in bas relief as well as on coins. Literature dedicated to its historical background and romance is spacious. Nomads planted the date at oases within the deserts as well as Arabs introduced it into Spain. Iraq has usually led the entire world in date manufacturing. At present, there are actually 22 million date palms in that nation providing just about 600,000 tons of dates on a yearly basis. The Basra area is acknowledged for its cultivars of remarkable quality. The dates have been typically a staple food items in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, the Sudan, Arabia as well as Iran. Growers obtain financial rewards for every offshoot of the high-quality date planted in a recommended spacing. The Ministry of Agriculture has generated training programs through the entire nation to show modern day agricultural techniques, which includes mechanization of all probable procedures in date culture, as well as acknowledgement and also particular roles of the numerous nearby cultivars. In West Africa, close to the Sahara, just dry, sugary types could be developed. Bonavia launched seeds of 26 types of dates through the Near East into northern India and Pakistan in 1869; and, in 1909, D. Milne, the Economic Botanist for the Punjab, launched offshoots as well as established the date like a grown crop in Pakistan. The fruits mature effectively within northwestern India and also at the Fruit Research Center in Saharanpur. In southern India, the weather is undesirable for date creation. Several trees around Bohol within the Philippines have been demonstrated to deal with a good amount of fresh fruits of excellent quality. The date palm has become presented into Australia, as well as into northeastern Argentina as well as Brazil exactly where it might thrive in dry zones. Several dates are usually offering fruits for the market on the little island of Margarita off the coast through northern Venezuela. In November 1899, 75 plants were delivered from Algiers to Jamaica. These were saved in a nursery till February 1901 and after that 69 were grown at Hope Gardens. The feminine palms eventually carried huge bunches of fresh fruits however they were ready to fully developed in October throughout the rainy period as well as, appropriately, the fruits rotted as well as fell. Very rarely have date palms carried normal fruits within the Bahamas as well as South Florida. Spanish visitors introduced the date into Mexico, about Sonora as well as Sinaloa, and Baja California. The palms were just seedlings. Still, the fruits had excellent attractiveness as well as appeared to be released from Baja California in 1837. The very first date palms within California were seeds grown by Franciscan as well as Jesuit missionaries within 1769. Potted offshoots from Egypt arrived at California within 1890 and various other introductions have already been converted to that state as well as in the drier regions of southern Arizona about Tempe as well as Phoenix. In 1912, Paul as well as Wilson Popenoe bought a total of 16,000 offshoots of chosen cultivars within Algeria, eastern Arabia and Iraq and also transferred these to California for distribution by their father, F. Popenoe who was simply an innovator in motivating date culture in California. It had been a lucrative crop, especially in the Coachella Valley. Nowadays there are about a quarter of the million bearing trees in California as well as Arizona. Plant The tree is dioecious which grows up to 15 to 25 m tall high with a cylindrical, erect and columnar trunk. It has fibrous root and fasciculated root system. Leaflets are lanceolate, entire and measures 15 to 100 cm long and 1 to 6. Flowers are dioecious s
