Palm trees cultivated in labs and then planted in farms could be a sustainable option to increase the number of these trees and ensure they remain disease-free.
The modern technique features extracting tissue from palm trees which is then grown in special incubators at the Bahrain Agricultural Incubators.
The process ensures high-quality date palm varieties that are disease- and pest-free as well as a very high survival rate due to healthy, strong and well-established root systems.
Agricultural development graduates Shareefa Al Thawadi and Rahma Moosa showcased their lab-cultivated palm trees at the fourth edition of ‘Khairat Al Nakhla’ (Palm Tree Bounties) festival at the Farmer’s Market in Hoorat A’ali.
It is organised by the National Initiative for Agricultural Development (NIAD) in collaboration with the Farmers Market Department of the Bahrain Development Bank and the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture Ministry.
“We cultivate palm trees by extracting tissue directly from palm tree off-shoots attached to their mother plant and implanting it in special incubators across various stages throughout two years,” said Ms Moosa.
“The tissue we cultivate is transferred every few weeks into other incubators and this process has to be done in a laboratory to ensure hygiene and protection from rot or deterioration of the tissue.
“Throughout the process the tissue is monitored and after the cultivation phases are complete then the small palm tree is transferred to soil where it continues growing naturally while maintaining 100 per cent of its genetic characteristics of the parent date palm.”
According to Ms Moosa, traditional pollination – which is the act of transferring pollen grains from the male anther of a male date palm tree flower to the female stigma manually – doesn’t ensure purity.
She added that using this process, around 600 palm trees can be transferred from the laboratory to soil for continued growth annually – ensuring sustainable continuation of the date palm.
Meanwhile, Ms Al Thawadi highlighted that the modern method ensures the continuation of pure date palms while allowing the growth of hundreds in a systematic sustainable manner.
“This technique is easy and organised but unfortunately regular farmers are unable to use it due to a lack of capabilities, equipment and laboratory settings,” she added.
“To ensure the success of the project, high levels of hygiene and special tools are required to ensure the specimens extracted and cultivated are protected which is difficult to do at home or traditional farms.
“The date palms cultivated in the laboratory are disease- and pest-free which is also an added advantage along with strong genetics and purity of produce.”
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