Palmyra, Central Syrian (SANA) – Human use of palms is as old as or older than human civilization itself, starting with the cultivation of the date palm by Mesopotamians and other Middle Eastern peoples 5000 years or more ago.
Palm trees have a great economic importance including coconut products, oils, dates, ivory nuts, wax and palm wood.
Palmyra Oasis embraces 350,000 date trees as it produces 40,000 tons of dates annually.
Syrian Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform has opened several centers specialized in planting and propagating palm trees to increase their number and improve the quality of their production.
Many palm tree propagation centers have been established in Palmyra such as Al-Mouh Moor Center which was established in 1999 over an area of 1,000 hectares. 9,000 palm shoots of different local and hybrid species are planted at the center.
Director of Palmyra Palm Tree Propagation Centers Mohammad Yusuf said that a new Atlas on local date species will be published soon, adding that irrigation system at the center depends on natural sulfur well with a discharge rate of 80 liter.
The center aims at studying palm tree blights to find effective solutions for them in addition to producing new local species of feminine and masculine palm trees and palm shoots, he said.
The center also holds training courses for technicians on palm tree to study the vitality of pollens, water resources and fertilizers in addition to publishing special brochures on ways of preserving palm trees, he added.
On the other hand, Zanoubia Oasis was established in 2003 over an area of 100 hectares. 1,000 palm shoots of different species are planted in the oasis which includes genetic compound which produced hybrid species of feminine and masculine palm trees.
Palmyra Palm Tree Propagation Center was established in 1987 over an area of 1,000 acres irrigated through 5 surface wells. The center embraces four local fields planted with 7,100 feminine trees, 100 masculine trees and 1,000 high-quality palm shoots.
Picking dates season starts in the second half of every year. Each palm tree produces from 100 to 150 kg of dates annually.
R. Jazaeri / R. Raslan/ Ghossoun
