JEDDAH — A team of scientists from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) have begun a project to enhance dates production while simultaneously protecting palm trees.

The project aims to study the genome of palm trees while focusing on the “Ajwa” dates of Madinah, said Dr. Ikram Blilou, associate professor, Plant Science, while stressing that the research project team is from KAUST’s Desert Farming Center.

She explained that the team has collected samples of palm trees from a farm in Madinah and developed tools and techniques to improve the planting process of palm trees.

While the focus is on dates production and palm tree protection, the team has throughout the procedure mapped out the genome sequencing of the “Ajwa” date palm.

She clarified that the project primarily aims at improving the production and the quality of dates in the Kingdom, which boasts 400 types of palm trees out of 2,000 varieties worldwide.

She pointed out that the Center of Desert Agriculture has developed new strategies to increase the quick multiplication and faster growth of palm trees, as well as making them more resistant to diseases and pests, such as red palm weevil.

Dr. Ikram said that dates are among the few fruits that can grow significantly in the deserts, where the climate is dry and temperatures high with plants needing special adaptations to survive in the harsh environmental conditions.

The climactic conditions are one of the factors that the Center has factored in, in their advanced techniques, to study the genome sequencing of palm trees, in order to increase their multiplication and growth. — SPA