Ways of palm reproduction
Interview
I had an interview with samy el-henawy an agronomist in agriculture department in Damietta:
I asked him:what are the ways of palm reproduction?
He answer:they reproduce in one of the following ways:
1- Seed reproduction.
2- Green reproduction (green multiplication and separating).
3- Planting buds and tissues.
The following is an explanation of each way:
Seed reproduction
The seeds of dates arise easily if they are planted about 2.5 c.m deep in a well ventilated soil.
A sufficient number palm seedlings gathering around the mother palm tree.After that they can be tested on a wide scale to find out their advantages and characteristics so that they can be grown at a commercial level.Seeds are normally planted in the late of winter season e.g. the late of February.
Green production
It's done with the palm seedling in armpits of small palm trees.These seedling form roots from their bases near the surface.That's after 3-5 years of their growth in the mother palm from these roots can be activated by piling up earth around the bases of the seedlings then separating them from the mother palm.If the seedlings around the mother palm are many and still small in size to provide enough space for the growth of the rest of seedlings.In case of desirable and rare species.The surplus seedlings remain.It's enough to change leaves to allow good growth for other seedlings.When the unpruned seedling reaches the age of 3-5 years and it's really to be transferred it weighs from 20-35 k.g or more.The process of separating seedlings begins with removing earth around their bases that's with leaving part covered with earth of 5-7.5 c.m to avoid damaging small roots.
Reproduction by planting buds and tissues
Side buds are taken from palm seedlings that their age ranges from 2-3 years when the height of the bud is 10 c.m and the diameter of its base is 10 m.m then the bud is cut lengthwise into four similar parts using sterilized tools.
Then it's transferred and planted on an artificial nutrition milieu.After planting the bud on the nutrition milieu new colonies arise when they are cut again and planted in nutrition milieu by cutting its 4 m.m diameter for the purpose of getting new colonies and continuing to plant them to get green parts from which a complete plant is formed with a stem and a root. Its height reaches from 10-15 c.m during 2-3 months when it's transferred and planted in the soil.By following this way we can plants valid for transferred to the soil and from one bud. Consequently we overcome the difficulties resulting from the reproduction by seedlings or by seeds.It noteworthy that. Reproduction with seeds isn't used as the plants produced aren't the same as the mother plant and as about a half of them is male and the other half is female.