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Oman Traditional Date Palms: Production and Improvement of Date Palms in Oman
Abstract
Date production in the world is confined to a small number of countries, most of them being Arab. However, date industry in the Arab world is not yet fully developed and concerted efforts are still needed to fully utilize the tremendous date tree potential as a commodity that can be consumed in the local market or processed for export. Date palm cultivation is one of the most important agricultural activities in Oman. It occupies more than 82% of total fruit crop area and about 42% of total agricultural land. Not only is domestic demand met, but a surplus for export is also generated.Tremendous development has occurred in the production and distribution of dates during the last two decades. However, the contribution of dates to total agriculture exports was found to be low. This paper presents date palm crop in terms of its traditional practice and economic development in Oman. Results show that the quality of dates produced has not yet met approved standards and, therefore, the return to producers is not maximized.
... In 2011, Oman exported 7,171 mt of dates, which is only 2.6 % of the total production for that year. The low level of exports was attributed to the poor handling of dates, poor fruit quality, and the numerous pests and diseases that affect postharvested dates in Oman (Al-Marshudi 2002 ;Al-Yahyai 2007 ;Manickavasagan et al. 2013 ). Compared to other countries, Omani dates fetched a lower price in the international market (USD 102 per mt), while countries of limited production such as Tunisia attained four times the price (USD 418 per mt) of dates (Mbaga et al. 2011 ). ...
... Date production in Oman remains traditional (Al-Marshudi 2002 ;Al-Yahyai 2007 ). Due to the subsistence nature of date production in Oman, farmers face many issues, namely, the traditional irrigation and fertilizer application methods (Al-Yahyai 2007 ). ...
... Date palm cultivation is one of the most essential agricultural activities in Oman. This country has diverse topographical and climatic ecoregions that allow for cultivation of various date palm cultivars, particularly in the northern coastal and the interior regions (Al-Marshudi 2002 ). Date production is suffi cient to meet the domestic demand and a signifi cant surplus is also exported. ...
Date palm is the primary agricultural crop in Oman, and it constitutes 80 % of all fruit crops produced and 50 % of the total agricultural area in the country. Oman is the eighth largest producer of dates in the world with an average annual production of 260,000 mt per annum. There are approximately more than over seven million date palms and 250 cultivars in cultivation, primarily in the northern governorates of the sultanate. However, around 70 % of the total date production is harvested from only 10 cultivars, and a small fraction (2.6 %) of the total date production is exported. Only half of the dates produced are used for human consumption, with the other half being utilized primarily for animal feed or considered surplus and wasted. Dates are mainly harvested for fresh fruit consumption; however, alternative uses such as date syrup, date sugar, and other by-products can also be found in the local market. Dubas bug and red palm weevil are the dominant biotic factors that affect date quality and yield in Oman. Traditional methods of cultivation, small farm size, enough labor available, and poor postharvest handling and marketing are the main issues that face date palm production in Oman. New plantlets are produced from tissue culture with a primary focus on superior cultivars that are kept, among other cultivars, in the only date palm ex situ gene bank in the interior of Oman. Enhancing fruit quality by optimizing fruit size and nutritional content and rapid cultivar selectivity based on molecular techniques for better or improved commercial cultivars will increase the marketability of Omani dates. Furthermore, employing modern orchard layouts and mechanization of the labor-dependent cultural practices such as irrigation, pruning, pollination, and harvesting is vital for the sustainable and profitable production of dates in Oman.
... Date production regions are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low-frequency and sporadic precipitation and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. In addition, cultivation of date palm follows traditional irrigation practices (Al-Marshudi, 2002), such as flooding, where large amounts of water resources are wasted beyond tree water requirements. ...
... Date palm is grown extensively in the Southwestern Asia and African regions between 24°N and 34°N (Zaid and Arias-Jiménez, 1993). In the Sultanate of Oman, where this study was conducted, dates are a major staple food and constitute about 50% of all crop acreage cultivated in the country (Al-Marshudi, 2002;Al-Yahyai, 2007). The date palm cultivation regions are arid or semi-arid where irrigation is essential for optimum yield and fruit quality. ...
... Khalas) fruit development were studied under various irrigation treatments. The range of the quantity of chemical components was similar to that previously obtained for date palm fruit grown under northern Oman conditions (El Mardi et al., 1995, 1998, 2002Al-Kharusi et al., 2007) and change in chemical composition during fruit growth followed those previously reported. ...
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is primarily cultivated in arid and semi-arid regions that are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low and sporadic rainfall and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. Frequent drought periods influence growth, yield and fruit quality of fruit crops in these regions. The effects of sub-optimal irrigation on the yield and fruit quality attributes of dates were investigated. Physico-chemical quality attributes of date palm (cv. Khalas) grown in northern Oman showed variable response to reduced frequency and amount of irrigation water applied during fruit development. Bunch weight, fruit weight, Fruit juice content, titratable acidity, and reducing sugars were reduced in the fruits of the least irrigated date palms, whereas, total soluble solid contents (oBrix), percentage of dry matter, and pectin were increased. No significant differences were observed in tannins, pH, and ash content. Yield and eating quality of dates were directly related to the amount of irrigation water received during fruit development.
... Date production regions are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low-frequency and sporadic precipitation and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. In addition, cultivation of date palm follows traditional irrigation practices (Al-Marshudi, 2002), such as flooding, where large amounts of water resources are wasted beyond tree water requirements. ...
... Date palm is grown extensively in the Southwestern Asia and African regions between 24°N and 34°N (Zaid and Arias-Jiménez, 1993). In the Sultanate of Oman, where this study was conducted, dates are a major staple food and constitute about 50% of all crop acreage cultivated in the country (Al-Marshudi, 2002;Al-Yahyai, 2007). The date palm cultivation regions are arid or semi-arid where irrigation is essential for optimum yield and fruit quality. ...
... Khalas) fruit development were studied under various irrigation treatments. The range of the quantity of chemical components was similar to that previously obtained for date palm fruit grown under northern Oman conditions (El Mardi et al., 1995, 1998, 2002Al-Kharusi et al., 2007) and change in chemical composition during fruit growth followed those previously reported. ...
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is primarily cultivated in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa that are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low and sporadic rainfall and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. The effects of sub-optimal irrigation on the chemical properties of dates were investigated. Chemical quality attributes of date palm (cv. Khalas) grown in northern Oman showed variable responses to reduced frequency of irrigation water applied during fruit development. Trees irrigated on a daily basis showed a significantly higher fruit water content, juice volume, and titratable acidity (TA). Deficit irrigation treatments had the highest total-and reducing sugar content. Trees under water stress that were irrigated once per week showed significantly high dry matter, total soluble solids (TSS) and pectin. Sucrose, tannin and pH were not significantly different among irrigation treatments. Manipulation of irrigation frequency can be used to enhance certain chemical fruit quality attributes of dates.
... dactylifera) is the oldest cultivated plant in the dry subtropical regions of north Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, southern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Cultivation of the date palm was known in the seventh millennium B.C in Sumeria, Assyria, and Egypt [1,12]. Iraq is the leading date-producing country, with a yield of approximately 350,000 tons annually [2,3]. ...
... Over forty varieties of date are grown in Oman, with over 150,000 tons of fruit produced annually. It is the largest crop in the country and, until the discovery of oil, far and away the most economically important [1]. Most fruits are harvested between August and December. ...
The date palm is the main host of dubas bug, which is also known as the palm bug. Dubas bug, Ommatissus lybicus De Bergevin is a destructive pestin Gulf countries. The intensive use of insecticides in Oman to control the dubas bug might lead to resistance. An entomological field study was conducted to test pesticides against dubas bug insect on spring generation in Al-Batinah region in sultanate of Oman. Four pesticides were used: Decis, Oberon, Mospilan and Ecodaneem (which is neem extract) and the control was sprayed by water only. There were no significant differences for the five used plots one day before spraying treatments. Insect densities of alive dubas nymphs after 10 days of the spraying treatments were decreased gradually in the treatments. At the present study, the pesticides treatments were carried in the first week of April which explained the decreased populations of nymphs in all treatments including the control. However, the number of alive nymphs in the Oberon treatment was the highest without significant difference with the control treatment. In conclusion, the efficacy of the tested insecticides was Oberon, Ecodoneem, Mospi-lan and Decis, in a descending order.
... Furthermore, the results can also be used in further studies to investigate the relationships between DB infestations and climatological factors such as humidity, rainfall, temperature, wind directions and speed (Payandeh et al., 2010). Environmental changes and socio-economic factors may also play key roles in enhancing the development, survival and spread of pests such as DB (Al-Marshudi, 2002). In recent years, extreme weather conditions have severely affected date palm productions in Oman such as cyclone Goun in 2007, Phet in 2010, Nanuk in 2014, and Ashobaa in 2015(Al-Yahyai and Khan, 2015. ...
... Drought, due to a lengthy rainless period and the drying up of many wells, increased water and soil salinity and may also support the increase and development of insects such as DB. Date palm cultivation in Oman remains a traditional human practice and farmers face many problems related to traditional irrigation, fertiliser, and application approaches (Al-Marshudi, 2002;Al-Yahyai, 2006). Biotic problems are similarly of great concern to growers, particularly insect pests such as DB (El-Juhany, 2010). ...
The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how Geographical Information System (GIS) can be used effectively to study infestations of Dubas bug (DB), Ommatissus lybicus Bergevin, in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) that occurred in northern Oman during 2006–2015. The ability to produce geographical and spatiotemporal layers using GIS is expected to serve an important role in both monitoring and surveillance of DB infestation and its impact in the study area. By using of spatial analytic and geostatistical functions in ArcGIS 10.3™,1, data that quantified the infestation levels of DB over a 10-year period from 2006 to 2015 were used to map and model the risk of infestation spatiotemporally. We modelled the spatiotemporal risk of DB infestation by performing hotspot analysis using the Getis-Ord statistic, Gi*. Our results show that annual hotspots over the study period were mainly concentrated in the mountain plains, particularly where farms are located between gradient elevations. Furthermore, the distribution pattern varied considerably with time and space. These results demonstrated the usefulness in following annual DB infestation patterns by studying the average seasonal infestation levels and distribution of hotspots as they can facilitate the allocation of resources for the treatment of infestations and allow for more effective monitoring of its influence on date palm trees.
... Because of the presence of so many layers and the lack of adequate marketing infrastructure and storage facilities, 30 to 40% of the perishable produce gets spoiled before reaching the ultimate consumer (PHDEB 2008 per capita date consumption is very low-around 1 kg (Ashraf and Hamidi-Esfahani 2011). Al-Marshudi (2002) noted that the date palm has retained its value for the desert population owing to its good adaptation to the environment and the wide range of benefits it provides. To many desert inhabitants, date fruit represent an important source of nutrition as its products can be used the year round (fresh mature dates are used during the June and October period). ...
... To many desert inhabitants, date fruit represent an important source of nutrition as its products can be used the year round (fresh mature dates are used during the June and October period). In addition, dates can be processed and stored for the remaining months of the year simply by using traditional ways of packing in jars or bags (Al-Marshudi 2002). Dried dates are one of the few food sources that are self preserving (due to the high sugar content), are light to carry, especially in view of the small quantity needed for daily consumption, and are pleasant to eat (Sanderson 2001). ...
Dates are grown in over 30 countries around the world; in recent years, date fruit has gained significant importance in global commerce. During the last two decades, global production of dates has more than doubled. The majority of date palm-growing areas are located in developing or underdeveloped countries where date fruit is considered a primary food crop, thus playing a major role in the nutritional status of these communities. Marketing of dates involves various operations through the value-chain, e.g., harvesting, cleaning, grading, packaging, processing, and transportation/shipment to local or export markets. Some of the major challenges confronting date fruit production and commerce are issues related to postharvest handling technologies, use of appropriate processing and packaging technologies, food safety aspects, and quality assurance. This chapter provides an overview of production; harvesting and GAPs/GMPs, postharvest handling and storage, processing, processed products/by-products, nutritional profile, bioactive compounds, and health benefits of dates.
... Over thousands of years, dates have been consumed as a stable food by the people in the Middle East and North Africa (Ait-Oubahou and Yahia, 1999). Dates are popular in these regions because of their nutritional values and readily available energy (Al-Marshudi, 2002;Al-Shahib and Marshall, 2003;Kader and Hussein, 2009;Al-Rawahi et al., 2005). In general, dates are mostly consumed as a whole fruit without any processing. ...
... In spite of massive efforts, the amount of export continued to be a challenge in Oman and many other countries. This may be due to the inconsistencies in the supply of quality dates in the international markets (Al-Marshudi, 2002). There are four major attributes in the grade standards of dates: color, size, absence of defects and physical properties (such as hardness) (Kader and Hussein, 2009). ...
... Date production regions are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low-frequency and sporadic precipitation and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. In addition, cultivation of date palm follows traditional irrigation practices (Al-Marshudi, 2002), such as flooding, where large amounts of water resources are wasted beyond tree water requirements. Using modern irrigation systems and management methods in date palm plantations allows for conservation *Corresponding author. ...
... Date palm is grown extensively in the Southwestern Asia and African regions between 24°N and 34°N (Zaid and Arias-Jiménez, 1993). In the Sultanate of Oman, where this study was conducted, dates are a major staple food and constitute about 50% of all crop acreage cultivated in the country (Al-Marshudi, 2002; Al-Yahyai, 2007). The date palm cultivation regions are arid or semi-arid where irrigation is essential for optimum yield and fruit quality. ...
Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is primarily cultivated in the regions of the Middle East and North Africa that are characterized by high evapotranspiration, low and sporadic rainfall and dependency on irrigation for crop cultivation. The effects of sub-optimal irrigation on the chemical properties of dates were investigated. Chemical quality attributes of date palm (cv. Khalas) grown in northern Oman showed variable responses to reduced frequency of irrigation water applied during fruit development. Trees irrigated on a daily basis showed a significantly higher fruit water content, juice volume, and titratable acidity (TA). Deficit irrigation treatments had the highest total-and reducing sugar content. Trees under water stress that were irrigated once per week showed significantly high dry matter, total soluble solids (TSS) and pectin. Sucrose, tannin and pH were not significantly different among irrigation treatments. Manipulation of irrigation frequency can be used to enhance certain chemical fruit quality attributes of dates.
... Oman relies heavily on the production of dates, which helps quite well in the development of the country's economy. The overall area of dates trees in Oman is over 30,000 hectares [4]- [6]. Currently, Oman has carried out numerous initiatives and projects over the Sultanate area in order to enhance and maximize the yield from such an important agricultural crop in Oman. ...
... However, in achieving this, the Ministry faces many challenges. According to Al Marshudi [6] as cited in Al Yahyai et al. [3] Date production in Oman is still traditional from irrigation to the methods of applying fertilizers. Due to a subtropical dry, hot desert climate with low annual rainfall and very high temperatures in summer, the insufficiency of quality and quantity of water is the major concern not only of Dates farmers but the rest of the agricultural sector [3]. ...
... Loaded with nutritional, health, and medicinal benefits, date syrup is one of the promising natural syrups in the global syrup market, even though currently it is virtually unknown to international markets outside the Arab world. [1][2][3] Arabs have been extracting date syrup from date fruits, commonly known as dates, grown in date palm trees since antiquity. [4] Date palm is believed to be the most ancient, cultivated tree in the world dating back to 4000 B.C. in the ancient city of Mesopotamia (currently Iraq) and Nile valley (presently Egypt). ...
Background
Understanding consumer’s preferences in the development and marketing of date syrup is crucial for developing its global market. Limited studies have attempted to understand the issues related to consumer’s preferences for date syrup, even though such understandings are essentials for its effective marketing as a promising alternative natural syrup. The present study was therefore conducted to investigate the sensory properties, purchase attributes, and usages of date-syrup among the consumers in Pakistan.
Design, Methodology, and Approach
A total of 135 consumers, comprising students, faculty, and staff from three different universities in Pakistan, participated in this study. The study questionnaire included sensory tests, rank order of brands tests, and rating of purchase-related attribute tests to evaluate the consumer preferences for date-syrup.
Findings and Implications
The results showed that consumers prefer a great taste, least sweet, least thick, smoothest, most soluble, medium dark in color, and mouthfeel date syrup. Additionally, a reasonable price, good packaging, and no added sugar were the purchase-important attributes of date syrup. The purchase attributes did not differ across varying demographics. These findings indicate that the enterprises striving to promote date syrup as an alternative sweetener should pay greater attention to customer-preferred sensory properties, usages, and purchase-related attributes.
Conclusion
This is the first study that evaluated the consumer’s preferences for date syrup in Pakistan. The results suggest that consumers prefer the great taste, smoothness, reasonable price, good packaging, and no added sugar as purchase-important attributes for date syrup. Therefore, enterprises promoting the use of date syrup as an alternate sweetener must concentrate on these aspects for its effective marketing.
... The methods suggested focused on IPM strategies which comprise surveillance, pheromone traps, cultural control, chemical treatments, biological control, etc. The benefits of the Bayroha'a El-Nakheel and the Bahja Gardens projects, which were established since years in the Gaza Strip to develop the Date Palm sector seemed to coincide with the benefits stated by Al-Marshudi (2002), Ali (2010) and Arias et al. (2016) in the sense that they minimize the dependency on dates imported from outside, and increase the availability of Date Palm products such as Ajwa and sweets in the local markets with low prices. The projects in question provided many job opportunities and improved the economic status and living standards of many poorer families in times the whole Gaza Strip is falling under political and military siege imposed by the Israeli occupation. ...
... Conversely, the potential for hayani and bahri seemed limited to a small ethnic market. Marshudi (2002) conducted the study of Oman traditional date palms with reference to production and improvement of date palms in Oman. This study presented date palm crop in terms of its traditional practice and economic development in Oman. ...
,Determinants of Competitive Advantage of Marketing of Dates inside and outside of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
... Exporting opportunities and the involved low risk perceptions have resulted in higher commitment to exports (Rashidi 2013). The research by Marshudi (2002) for traditional date palms of Oman has revealed the quality issues in dates' production causing low return to the producers. Variance analysis has been done by Kahtani (2007) indicating significant difference in prices, varieties and the marketing margins therein and the expected demand to increase with the population growth. ...
A ‘Target Marketing’ approach may be suitable for achieving a competitive edge by date palm sellers and overcoming the difficulties like seasonality, high volumes, intense competition, and income stagnancy. Michael Porter’s Diamond Model has been applied to check the capacity and dependency of date palm producing countries on different determinants in the process of getting a competitive edge. The results confirm the need of product diversification and target marketing approach. Offering innovative premium products to the quality conscious segments and developing new date-based minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients and ready-to-consume processed foods and beverages as substitutes to unhealthy ultra-processed products will benefit the marketers and the consumers both. Producing value-added premium products and adopting appropriate marketing methods with promotional campaigns will lead to healthy food habits and also stimulate preferences for these items. A coordinated effort will give the date industry a sustainable growth and the people a healthy life. © 2018, Statistical Economic and Social Research and. All rights reserved.
... Over forty varieties of date palm are grown in Oman, with over 150,000 tons of fruit produced annually which considered to be: the largest crop in the country, and, until the discovery of oil, far and away the most economically important [1]. There are several pests attacking date palm trees and fruits in the Arab countries [2]. ...
The dubas bug, Ommatissus lybicus De Ber-gevin is an important pest of date palm, Phoenix dac-tylifera in Gulf countries, Middle East and north Af-rica regions. The intensive use of insecticides in Oman to control the dubas bug might lead to resistance. An entomological field study was carried out to test pesticides against dubas bug insect on autumn generation in Al-Batinah region in sultanate of Oman. Four insecticides were used: Decis, Oberon, Mospilan and Nimbecidine (which is neem extract) and the control was sprayed by water only. The number of the nymphs were counted visually on the trees before one day and after 3, 7, 10 and 14 days of the treatments. There were no significant differences between the means of densities one day before treatment for the five used plots. The number of alive nymphs for Nimbecdine (azadirachtin) and for Mospilan (acetamiprid) were the least compared with Dices and Oberon after 10 days of treatments, but without significant differences. Insect densities of alive dubas bug nymphs after 14 days of the applied treatments showed significant differences between the treatments. Mospilan treatments showed the least number of alive dubas bug significantly compared with the other tested pesticides. Overall means within the whole experimental work from three days spraying to 14 days of the same applications indicated that all used pesticides were effective in decreasing the dubas bug population, leading to effective control. However, preferable to spray insecticides when dubas bug nymphs in the fourth in-stars, or when more than 75% of egg have hatched, treated the dubas bug in autumn generation with the Mospilan insecticide under field conditions is more effected to control this pest and even the Nimbecdine gave low results in the pest control, but it is good to be used in pesticide application programmes, because they are a biological, eco-friend insecticides, less residues and to avoid pesticide resistance.
... Although date production was 276,400 MT in 2010(FAO, 2010, only about 5,000 tons was exported (Zaabanot, 2011). The low level of export from Oman is due to improper sorting of dates to ensure higher quality as expected by consumers (Al-Marshudi, 2002). According to the CODEX standard, the quality attributes to grade dates are colour, flavor (sugar level), moisture content and absence of defects, such as insect damage, and surface damage (Kader and Hussein, 2009). ...
Hardness is one of the important attributes in determining the quality of dried fruits. Hardness assessment is normally carried out by manual inspection. This method is time consuming, laborious, expensive and subjective. The objective of this study was to develop a computer vision system with a monochrome camera to classify dates based on hardness. Date samples were obtained from three different growing regions in Oman and graded into soft, semi-hard, and hard classes based on hardness. A total of 1800 date samples were imaged individually using a monochrome camera (600 dates / class). Histogram and texture features were extracted from the acquired monochrome images and used in the classification models. The overall classification accuracies in three class model (soft, semi-hard, and hard) were 66% and 71% for linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and artificial neural network (ANN), respectively. It was improved to 84% and 77% in LDA and ANN, respectively while using two class model (soft and hard (semi-hard and hard together)). The histogram features were more contributing in the date classification based on hardness than image texture features. Computer vision technique has great potential to develop online quality monitoring systems for dates and other dried fruits.
... Significant numbers of palm trees are primarily grown in the northern part of Oman, where agriculture and climate conditions satisfy the requirements of production [23]. The date palm has the ability to survive under the adverse conditions found there [24]. Although the study area covered 9 governorates in northern Oman, analysis of our data revealed that most commercially managed and high-quality data palm plantations are located in 6 of these governorates: Al-Dakhliyah (Samail), Al-Dhahirah (Ibri), Al-Batinah (North and South), and Al-Sharqiyah (North and South) (see Fig 1). ...
Date palm cultivation is economically important in the Sultanate of Oman, with significant financial investments coming from both the government and private individuals. However, a widespread Dubas bug (DB) (Ommatissus lybicus Bergevin) infestation has impacted regions including the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Russia, and Spain, resulting in widespread damages to date palms. In this study, techniques in spatial statistics including ordinary least squares (OLS), geographically weighted regression (GRW), and exploratory regression (ER) were applied to (a) model the correlation between DB infestations and human-related practices that include irrigation methods, row spacing, palm tree density, and management of undercover and intercropped vegetation, and (b) predict the locations of future DB infestations in northern Oman. Firstly, we extracted row spacing and palm tree density information from remote sensed satellite images. Secondly, we collected data on irrigation practices and management by using a simple questionnaire, augmented with spatial data. Thirdly, we conducted our statistical analyses using all possible combinations of values over a given set of candidate variables using the chosen predictive modelling and regression techniques. Lastly, we identified the combination of human-related practices that are most conducive to the survival and spread of DB. Our results show that there was a strong correlation between DB infestations and several human-related practices parameters (R² = 0.70). Variables including palm tree density, spacing between trees (less than 5 x 5 m), insecticide application, date palm and farm service (pruning, dethroning, remove weeds, and thinning), irrigation systems, offshoots removal, fertilisation and labour (non-educated) issues, were all found to significantly influence the degree of DB infestations. This study is expected to help reduce the extent and cost of aerial and ground sprayings, while facilitating the allocation of date palm plantations. An integrated pest management (IPM) system monitoring DB infestations, driven by GIS and remote sensed data collections and spatial statistical models, will allow for an effective DB management program in Oman. This will in turn ensure the competitiveness of Oman in the global date fruits market and help preserve national yields.
... Loaded with nutritional, health, and medicinal benefits, date syrup is one of the promising natural syrups in the global syrup market, even though currently it is virtually unknown to international markets outside the Arab world. [1][2][3] Arabs have been extracting date syrup from date fruits, commonly known as dates, grown in date palm trees since antiquity. [4] Date palm is believed to be the most ancient, cultivated tree in the world dating back to 4000 B.C. in the ancient city of Mesopotamia (currently Iraq) and Nile valley (presently Egypt). ...
The academic research has been mainly focusing on dates quality improvement and postharvest technology, whereas studies about dates by-products' development and marketing practices are still lacking. This is alarming given the recommendations put forth by researchers in the past who have identified areas of date improvements that include by-product utilization, value addition of dates, improvement of processing facilities, enhancement of marketing efforts, exports of date products. Thus, regional competition and demand for branded dates and byproducts calls for developing Omani date industry with focus on innovation. Date syrup (dibs) represents an attractive date by-product given its use in many traditional foods. However, date syrup is not currently embraced by local entrepreneurs in comparison to their regional competitive counterparts. This study aims to address the aspects of consumer evaluation of Omani date syrup as an important and valuable by-product for the purpose of product innovations and exporting. In particular, it evaluates consumers' preferences and opinion toward possible combinations of date syrup from local brands to ultimately determine some segmenting and marketing elements for date syrup. To this end, sensory test and choice experimentation are conducted for four combinations of date syrup among a sample of 84 non-Arab expatriates living in Oman. The results revealed the most preferred brand had the best taste, least thickness and medium sugar level. The subjects favoured using date syrup as an ice cream topping, followed by spread on toast, bagel, waffle or pancake and a cheese cake topping. Its use with yogurt or milk was least preferred. When subjects were asked about importance of purchase attributes, good taste turned out to be most important followed by reasonable price, no added sugar, packaging, smoothness and sweetness. However, we noticed some difference between Asians, Europeans and North Americans.
... Conversely, the potential for hayani and bahri seemed limited to a small ethnic market. Marshudi (2002) conducted the study of Oman traditional date palms with reference to production and improvement of date palms in Oman. This study presented date palm crop in terms of its traditional practice and economic development in Oman. ...
The study focus on testing the determinants of competitive advantage of dates marketing from Saudi Arabia through multi- regression model based on Porter’s diamond, which is determined the factor that affecting on competitiveness of nations in international marketing, such as factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries, and company strategy; structure; and rivalry. Our study selected the most competitive countries for Saudi Arabia in marketing dates in its markets (like Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia). The results of study showed that the four determinants are significant and R square is high more than 95% in all equations this is agree with our assumptions, but the signs parameters of these determinants are different from our expectations specially with the quantity of production in Saudi Arabia which appear negative with the value of export of dates from KSA, that is because the consumption of dates in domestic market is high and it absorbs the high quality kind of dates, which is needed for external market. We tested also the same determinants for the competitive countries (Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia); we found the same results, except Egypt, which have huge domestic demand that is effect on demand conditions in this country. Our study suggested more studies are needed for related and supporting industries of dates with this crop, to save data base in this field, and give more attention for quality of dates, packaging and prices for Saudi exporting of dates.
... Although annual production is high (276, 400 tonnes/year), export is relatively low (only 5,000 tonnes/ year; Al-Yahyai and Al-Khanjari 2008; FAO 2010). One of the major reasons for the lower export from Oman is inconsistencies in qualities (Al-Marshudi 2002). ...
Date is an important fruit in the regular diets of many peoples in the Arab countries and several other parts of the world. Hardness is one of the important attributes in determining the quality of dates. Hard dates are tough, difficult to chew, unsuitable for several product preparation and ultimately fetching low market price. In general, hard dates have strong curvy and zigzag textured skin. In this study, the efficiency of edge detection features in classifying dates based on hardness using monochrome images was determined. Date samples (Fard variety) were obtained from three major dates growing regions in Oman, and classified into three grades (soft, semi-hard and hard) by a group of trained graders followed with a confirmation by an experienced grader in a commercial dates company. Individual dates were imaged using a monochrome camera (600 dates per grade; total = 1,800 images). A total of 36 features were extracted (28 in spatial domain and 8 in frequency domain) using edge detection methods. An artificial neural network (ANN) was used to classify the dates based on hardness. The overall classification accuracies were 75 % and 87 % while using single ANN (irrespective of regions) for three-class (soft, semi-hard and hard) and two-class (soft and hard (semi-hard and hard together)) models, respectively. While using separate ANN for each region in the three-class model, the mean classification accuracies were 94 %, 59 % and 84 % for soft, semi-hard and hard dates, respectively. Similarly, for the two-class ANN model for each region, the accuracies were 95 % and 77 % for soft and hard dates, respectively. Edge detection features have a great potential in determining several surface qualities of food and agricultural products, where similar gray or color values but varying texture are found.
... Although production of dates has been improved from 45,000 Mt in 1970to 255,891 Mt in 2007(FAO 2007, quality has been a major concern in Oman. Quality, composition and packaging have always been a problem for Omani dates to compete in the international market (Al-Marshudi 2002). The average annual export is only 9000 metric tons which is 2.5 to 3.5% of production (FAO 2007). ...
Computer vision technique is becoming popular for quality assessment of many products in food industries. Image enhancement is the first step in analyzing the images in order to obtain detailed information for the determination of quality. In this study, Brightness preserving histogram equalization technique was used to enhance the features of gray scale images to classify three date varieties (Khalas, Fard and Madina). Mean, entropy, kurtosis and skewness features were extracted from the original and enhanced images. Mean and entropy from original images and kurtosis from the enhanced images were selected based on Lukka's feature selection approach. An overall classification efficiency of 93.72% was achieved with just three features. Brightness preserving histogram equalization technique has great potential to improve the classification in various quality attributes of food and agricultural products with minimum features.
... Although the production is high, the annual export from Oman is less than 10,000 tones (Al-Rawahi et al., 2005). This low export could be due to the poor quality of the processed and packaged dates (Al-Marshudi, 2002). Date quality is based on color, size and absence of defects or damages (Ait-Oubahou and Yahia, 1999). ...
Surface or external qualities of fresh and dried fruits are the important factors in determining the consumer acceptability. An automated and objective method to detect the surface defects on fruits would be highly beneficial in handling and processing facilities. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of a computer vision system with RGB color camera to detect the surface cracks on dates. Three grades of dates (no-crack dates, low-crack dates and high-crack dates) were obtained from two commercial dates processing factories in Oman. After the confirmation of grade standards by a dates-quality-expert, the samples were imaged individually using a color camera (105 dates in each grade). Eleven features were extracted from each image and used in classification models. Red, hue and value intensities of three grades of dates were significantly different from each other. In a three classes model, the classification accuracy was 62%, 58% and 78% for high-crack, low-crack and no-crack dates, respectively using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). LDA yielded a classification accuracy of 88% and 75% for the dates with-crack and without-crack, respectively in a two classes model. In pairwise discrimination, the highest classification (96%) was achieved between high-crack and no-crack dates, and the lowest accuracy (59%) was between low-crack and high-crack dates.
... The average annual national production is around 238,000 tonnes (Yahyai and AlKhanjari, 2008). Although the production in Oman is high, the annual export is less than 10,000 tonnes (Al-Rawahi et al., 2005) mainly due to the poor quality of the processed and packaged dates (Al-Marshudi, 2002). Date quality is determined based on color, size and absence of defects or damages (Oubahou and Yahia, 1999 ). ...
This study was conducted to determine the mortality of two common insect species in stored dates using a microwave oven operating at 2450 MHz. Adults of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) and Oryzaephilus surinamensis (L.), and larvae of T. castaneum (15 days) were used to internally infest stored un-pitted dates and then subjected to microwave treatment at 180, 300, 600 or 800 W power for 20, 30 or 40 s. Complete mortality was achieved for adults of both insects and larvae of T. castaneum when the power was 800 W and the exposure time was 30 or 40 s. Mortality of T. castaneum larvae was also 100% when the power and exposure time were 600 W and 40 s, respectively. The quality attributes of the microwave-treated dates (in which 100% mortality was achieved) were compared with untreated dates. Instrumental evaluation of texture profiles revealed that microwave disinfestation did not affect hardness, adhesiveness, springiness, cohesiveness and chewiness. Microwave disinfestation did not affect the sensory attributes or the surface color of date fruits. The moisture loss during microwave treatment was between 1.0 and 1.5 percentage points. Further investigations are required to determine the capability of microwave disinfestation for packed dates and other stored product insects and life stages.
... Although the production is high, the annual export from Oman is less than 10,000 tones (Al-Rawahi et al., 2005). This low export could be due to the poor quality of the processed and packaged dates (Al-Marshudi, 2002). Date quality is based on color, size and absence of defects or damages (Ait-Oubahou and Yahia, 1999). ...
... The farm is usually irrigated once a week in the summer and after every 2 to 3 weeks during the winter season. Falaj water is inherited or brought from the village Falaj committee that is responsible for water distribution (Al-Marshudi, 2002). In many parts of the world, including members of the Gulf Countries Council, the assumption is often made that high water losses are inherent in all forms of surface irrigation, with efficiencies often estimated at 50% or less (Ahmad, 1996). ...
4 Water Management
in Date Palm Groves
M. Mumtaz Khan and S. A. Prathapar
INTRODUCTION
Water is a significant factor for socio-economic growth of the world. The availability of fresh
water is limited, while the demand for this precious natural resource is continuously on the rise.
It is anticipated that nearly two-third population of the world will be living in water-stressed areas
by the year 2025. It is, therefore, a discrete requirement of today to design strategies to economize
the uses of the available water: in particular, for agriculture, which utilizes as much as 70%–90%
of it.
In the current scenario of immense pressure on land and water resources in terms of availability
and accessibility, food security to the fastest growing population is a big challenge, which has
received attention worldwide. Among all the inputs of crop production, water is vital as it is the carrier
of all nutrient constituents. This precious resource has competition from industry, domestic use,
and crop production. Therefore, harnessing the available potential of surface and ground water
resources and its judicious use is the most important agenda to face future challenges of the world.
In the majority of countries, 70%–90% of water is consumed in the agriculture sector with efficiency
as low as 40% in many countries. The ratio of gross irrigated area to gross areas under agri-
CONTENTS
Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 45
Date Palm-Growing Regions around the Globe ............................................................................... 47
Factors Influencing Irrigation Requirements....................................................................................48
Climate........................................................................................................................................48
Estimating ET Requirements and Scheduling..................................................................................49
Irrigation Methods in Commercial Groves.......................................................................................54
Flood or Surface Irrigation...........................................................................................................54
Bubbler Irrigation........................................................................................................................54
Drip Irrigation.............................................................................................................................54
Irrigation in Traditional Farms..................................................................................................... 55
Aflaj Irrigation System................................................................................................................. 55
Leaching and Drainage..................................................................................................................... 57
Artificial/Deliberate Leaching of Accumulated Salts.................................................................. 57
WP of Date Palm.............................................................................................................................58
Effect of Water on Date Quality........................................................................................................60
Opportunities to Improve WP of Date Palm Grooves.......................................................................60
Agronomy...................................................................................................................................60
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................... 62
References........................................................................................................................................63
... Just after the fruit reaches maturity, all residents of the village are informed about the auction. Prices are set on a per tree basis depending on varieties and qualities (Al-Marshudi, 2002). Table 5 illustrates the total number of date palm trees by variety within the three aflaj included in this study. ...
Several factors such as demographic population structure, economic growth rate and change of life style have significant influence on water demand. This paper outlines the problem of water scarcity in Oman, in particular the use of certain economic instruments such as metering, consumption tariff and water markets to manage water resources for both domestic and agricultural uses. An interesting finding about the domestic sector is the dramatic rise in the use of metering devices and piped network water distribution, especially in the two regions Muscat and Dhofar, with a gradual increase in other regions. At the same time, the aflaj water market system has been used for centuries in irrigation. The Omani experience is a unique example of operating a water system within a market of high water prices.
... Just after the fruit reaches maturity, all residents of the village are informed about the auction. Prices are set on a per tree basis depending on varieties and qualities (Al-Marshudi, 2002). Table 5 illustrates the total number of date palm trees by variety within the three aflaj included in this study. ...
Water pricing and water markets can play major roles in improving water allocation, encouraging users to conserve scarce water resources, and promoting improvements in productivity. Water is a precious commodity in Oman. An important source of information about water markets is available from Oman's experience with the established and well-managed falaj (plural aflaj) system in the Northern part of the country. We examine markets for temporary water allocation over a four-year period. Our goals are to describe how water is valued, based on units of time, and to compare the Omani experience with markets in other countries. The characteristics of the system in Oman are unique and represent an unusual example of a market for temporary water transfers within a high price context.
Brightness preserving histogram equalization (BPHE) technique was used to enhance the features to discriminate three dates varieties (Khalas, Fard and Madina). Mean, entropy and kurtosis features were computed from the enhanced images and used in an Artificial Neural Network classifier. The classification efficiency of 4 sets of hidden neurons (5, 10, 20, and 30) was tested and the network with 5 neurons yielded the highest classification accuracy of 95.2%.
Varietal purity is an important parameter in the quality standards of dates. In general, variety identification is done by visual inspection method in grading and handling facilities. Online variety assessment using computer vision methods with minimum features and fast image processing and classification algorithms would be highly beneficial for the date industry. Three date varieties (Khalas, Fard and Madina) were classified using a single type of feature, Euler number, used on the eight bit planes available from gray scale images. An overall classification accuracy of 91.48% was achieved using a two layer neural network classifier with hyperbolic tangent sigmoid transfer function. Additionally, image segmentation was performed using the two most significant bit planes. Therefore, a complete feature extraction module based on logic values and morphological image processing as proposed here can be easily implemented in hardware. © 2015, Int. Comm. of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering. All rights reserved.
Computer vision technology has been used as a successful non-destructive quality assessment tool for various food products. In general, several features are extracted from the images of interest, and used for the classification models. Furthermore, in most of the studies, static images have been used in the calibration and evaluation models. Classification models with a reduced number of features, and a mechanism to test the capability of the algorithm for moving objects by means of simulating the blurring effect on the static images would be beneficial to determine the performance of the system in real-time quality monitoring in industries. Using three date varieties as model food, motion was simulated for the date’s images and a successful neural network classifier was designed with only three statistical features (mean, standard deviation, and skewness). The reduced number of features and simplicity of the classifier yielded a solution that can be potentially implemented in hardware fast enough so that to consider the case of classification of the dates in a conveyor belt. To test the solution under such conditions, a blurring degradation function was used to verify that the classifier would work. The effects that motion blurring causes to these statistical moments in a general sense were examined using random numbers drawn from the distribution in the Pearson system. Because motion blurring showed a tendency to change the distribution to a Gaussian density, the same features and classifier yielded similar results despite of motion.
Irrigation efficiency as a standard engineering measure has been traditionally used to assess water use management. Allocative efficiency as applied in production economics theory provides an alternative measure of irrigation performance. Both concepts are used in this study to investigate water efficiency levels for irrigated crops in the Batinah region of Oman under modern irrigation methods. While irrigation efficiency focuses on the technical aspect of water management, allocative efficiency is more directed to the economic aspects and has bearing on the economic sustainability of the system. Both estimates of irrigation efficiency and allocative efficiency show the presence of inefficiencies as a result of underuse of water resources. In a few cases, however, allocative efficiency show the possibility of overuse of irrigation water which could be the result of small-sized farms using water more extensively.
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