The 12th edition of the Liwa Date Festival at Abu Dhabi is also showcasing some of the latest innovative research being carried out by Emirati scientists on growing date palm trees besides of course celebrating the iconic fruit of the UAE.
UAE University (UAEU), one of the main sponsors of the festival, used the opportunity to educate visitors on their latest work, which employs the use of tissue culture for growing date palm trees rather than traditional methods such as seeding.
“We try to grow the date palm by using tissue culture techniques. This allows us to grow the tree quickly, and also gives us more date palm trees,” said Eman Hussain, from the university’s date palm development research unit department.
The entire process takes up to three years, according to Hussain, but she notes that in that time, “we can grow thousands of trees with just one plant heart”.
With the whole process taking place under controlled conditions, Hussain says that this creates optimum growth and production of the trees.
“We don’t have to deal with problems like insects and diseases that could potentially harm the tree because the growth is in a controlled environment,” she said.
“Weather issues are also not a problem for us because when we start growing the plant in the second stage, we also make sure to modify the temperature that best suits the plant’s needs and growth,” she added.
The research being done by Hussain and her team has also been officially recognised for its achievements. In 2015, they were named the recipients of the Khalifa Date Palm Award for Best Distinguished Producers.
Hussain said that she and her team are looking to improve on their research.
“We have a large demand for the dates that have been produced from our trees. We have customers not only in the UAE, but from around the world in countries like India, Jordan and others,” she added. Indeed a vital research to boost economy!