Farmers start date palm pollination after frost delays spathes

BASRA — Farmers in northern Basra began pollinating date palms this week after a spell of cold weather and frost in February and March delayed the emergence of spathes, a crucial stage in palm cultivation.

“We usually start pollinating in mid-February each year, but this time the cold and frost delayed the spathes from appearing,” farmer Dawood Al-Hassani told 964media. “We’ve now started the actual pollination process. The first varieties we pollinate are Habsi and Sayir, while Barhi comes last because it blooms later.”

Pollination involves removing the outer spathe covering, trimming the tip to encourage larger fruit, and inserting strands of male palm upside down into the spathe. Farmers then tie the strands with palm fiber to keep them in place.

“Sometimes people use powdered pollen, but we prefer strands because they last longer and have a stronger effect,” Al-Hassani said.

Barhi palms are often pollinated with the strong male Ghanami variety. “Ghanami is the best type of pollen, followed by the pink type and then the regular one,” he explained.

He noted that palms in direct sunlight produce spathes earlier than those in shaded areas. Farmers also limit each tree to eight or 10 spathes to promote larger fruit.

“After Newroz on March 21, we can start pollinating all types and sizes of spathes because we’re officially in spring,” Al-Hassani said, adding that larger orchard owners often hire specialists to handle the process at a rate of about 2,000 dinars per palm tree.