Postharvest Technology of Dates

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the third most important fruit crop after citrus and mango in Pakistan. This crop is found in all four provinces of Pakistan on 90,000 ha with a production of around 600,000 mt yr −1. Pakistan's position is always among the seven largest producers and exporters of dates in the world. Sindh and Balochistan provinces contribute more than 90 % of production and crop area in Pakistan. In Sindh, Khairpur is the biodiversity center having more than 300 date palm cultivars. Date palm has a very strong effect on socioeconomic activities of the area. The top Pakistani cultivars are Aseel, Dhakki, Begum Jangi, Rabai, and Muzawati. Pakistani date fruit is being exported as fresh, dry, or chohara. Most date-processing factories in Pakistan are located in Khairpur. This chapter provides basic information describing date palm cultivation in Pakistan, major fl ood-affected date palms and fruit, protection from monsoon rains, the fi rst commercial trial for date palm micropropagation using infl orescence explants at the Date Palm Research Institute (DPRI) at Khairpur, and major date palm problems generally in Pakistan, including diseases and pests, with emphasis on the Khairpur and Balochistan areas, and date fruit drying through the use of solar dryers.