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2. 2 Introduction UAE is a federation of seven Emirates: Abu-Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ras-al-Khaimah, Fujairah, Umm al-Quain and Ajman. Regarded as an arid and semi-arid region with high temperatures (40 -43º) and low rainfall (40-60mm) high rates of evaporation (almost 20 times more than the average rainfall). Total area is about 83600 km². Date Palm ( Phoenix dactylifera ) is one of the oldest domesticated crop that is also known in the region as a “ tree of life” Also regarded as a god food, helps in reducing desertification, marketed locally and exported abroad ( generating foreign exchange). Co-operation with the national, regional and international organizations to improve date palm cultivation, dates production and marketing.

3. 3 Present Study reviews generally, - History of Date Palm - Distribution of Date Palm - Orchard Management Practices But main focus is on Irrigation of Date Palm Important water management practices - Methods of water application - Water requirements - Irrigation scheduling - Role of applied research work - Role of the extension services - Constraints, Conclusion and recommendations.

4. 4 The Origin of Date Palm : The exact origin of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is somewhat obscure. It has originated in the area of north eastern Africa, northern Arabia, Iraq and western Iran. One of the first crops that was domesticated in these areas. In the UAE, date palm has prevailed for the past five millennia as illustrated by the archaeological sites.

5. 5 Date Palm Propagation : date palms are cultivated mainly through: - Offshoot and Tissue culture - About 200000 good tissue cultured varieties are given to farmers yearly

6. 6 Time of Planting: Spring (from mid-February to end of April) Autumn (from late August to end of October) Tree Spacing: Ranges from ( 7m X 7m) (200 palms/ha.) to (10m X 10m) (100palms/ha). Irrigation: Supplying sufficient amount of water especially at the young stage depending on the environmental conditions and soil characteristics. Avoiding excess irrigation at the transplanting stage. Checking periodically irrigation water quality (ECw) and the soil salinity (ECe) in order to minimize the drop in the potential yield. Fertilizer Application: No fertilizer is applied at the time of transplanting Addition of 1kg of compound fertilizer and 500 gm of urea during the months of March-April (as recommended from field trials-discussed in the later parts of the study).

7. 7 Major Pests of Date Palm in the UAE: Insect Pests: Red Palm Weevil ( Susat-al-Nakheel ). The lesser Date Moth ( Humraniah ). The Longhorn Stem Borer (Haffar-al-Saaq ). The Rhinoceros Beetle ( Al-Agoor ). Dubas Insect (Dubas). Fungal Diseases: Inflorescence Rot or Khamedj Disease (Khayas-al-Talae). False Smut. False Bayoud Black Scorch “ Magnoona”

8. 8 Date Palm Agro-Ecological Distribution Areas: Three main agro-ecological areas and well defined zones: Coastal Regions: - Stretches from the Western Coasts of UAE(Coasts of the Arabian Gulf) to its Eastern Coasts (Gulf of Oman). - The dates are soft type and mainly consumed at "Rutub" Stage or eaten dried at “Tamr” Stage. Mountainous Regions: - Date palm oasis is seen spreading from the plains and mountains that stretch from Ras-al Khaimah (RAK) in the north to Al-Ain city in the south. - System of watering is either through springs (as is the case for Masafi and Khatt) or from "Aflaj"(as is the case in Al-Ain, Dhaid and Falj-al-Moualla) or using tube wells (as is seen in Adhn). - A mount and frequency of rain in this area are the major factors for date plantation. Oases: - There are a number of oases in UAE where date palm grows. - The most important of these are Al-Ain and Liwa. Al-Ain oases are irrigated with a network of "Aflaj", Liwa oases depend on dug wells as the water table is at 5-10 metes depth.

9. 9 Date Palm Farming Systems: - Old Date Palm Farms: Established before the sixties. Very croweded (varied spacing) and are of mixed and sometimes unknown varieties. Offshoots lefts growing on the mother palm until fruiting. Irrigation water through springs, aflaj, open ditches. Low date yielding varieties. - New Date Palm Farms: Established in the seventies and eighties Planting spacing mostly (8m X 8m) Modern Irrigation systems

10. 10 Important Date Palm Varieties: 185 cultivars grown in UAE but only 25 varieties are considered commercial. Varieties imported from Gulf countries, Iraq & Pakistan and Northe Africa. MOEW is conducting survey on the existing Date Palm Varieties. ( Details on varieties tabulated in the main report) Development of Date Palm Production The global date production has almost doubled in 2001 as compared to 1963 and it is on the rise as indicated for 2003. In the Arab World, 4.5 (MT) of dates were produced in 2003 which represented about 67% of the World production of which 11.3% was the UAE contribution ( FAOSTAT.,2004).

11. 11 Date Production and Marketing in the UAE: Date Palm plantation has largely expanded all over the different regions of the Emirates. Subsidies are provided to farmers for the farm inputs, date prices an marketing. Production increased from 8000 (MT) in 1970 to 757601 (MT) in 2003.

12. 12 Date Palm Irrigation Factors to be considered: Sufficient amount of water of good qualify, acceptable yield and better fruit quality Environment conditions of the planting location - Meteo-data - soil characteristics - crop characteristic - Water quality Irrigation method Water Resources Two main water resources - surface water - groundwater

13. 13 Surface Water : Fluctuations, unstable nature of rainfall and the unpredictability of floods. 25 main wadis in UAE. Retention dams built on main wadis (100) to help in recharge of the aquifer. Total capacity of these dams about 115 Mm³. Groundwater : Important source of irrigation water. Fluctuations of ground water levels monitored through more than 200 observation wells. Yearly decline in levels ( 0.8 – 2.0m) Rise in groundwater levels (1m to 25m) depending on water stored at the retention dams. Aquifer depletion subject to over-pumping and the growing of forages. Water quality is deteriorating. Annual recharge is estimated between 120 Mm³ and 150 Mm³.

14. 14 Desalination Water: Production of 950 Mm³ in 2005. Mainly for municipal and industrial purposes. Production to be increased. Treated Sewage Water: Has increased from 142 Mm³ (1994) to 319 Mm³ (2005). Mostly used in landscaping irrigation. Water production in UAE (2005) (%)

15. 15 Irrigation Water Quality: - UAE recently witnessed a deterioration of the irrigation water quality ER least affected bcs: higher anuual rainfall NR highly affected bcs: most agricultural activities

16. 16 Irrigated Agriculture: Cropped Areas: Total Cropped Areas and Crop Production in the UAE (2002) Source: The UAE Agricultural Information Center, Dubai, UAE, 2003. Irrigation Systems: - UAE adapted modern irrigation techniques ( bubblers, drip and sprinklers). Labor saving (70% to 80%). Water saving (80%).

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18. 18 Date Palm Water Requirements: Parameters to be considered : Crop age and root development. Soil texture at ECe Climatic conditions ( Tº, RH, evaporation, sunshine hourse,…) - All these factors are water-related hence difficult to tackle each one seperately. - The basic parameter for calculation is to know ETo. Three basic question are to be answered: (a)When to irrigate, (b) How much to irrigate and (c) How to irrigate. - Numerous methods have been developed for obtaining ETo. - This study uses these methods: - Modified Penman - Class A Pan Evaporattion - Hargreaves and Saimani

19. 19 ETo Calculations: Modified Penman Equation : ( FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper 24 ) ETo = c [ W.Rn + (1-W) . f (u) . (ea-ed) ] ETo = Reference or Potential Evaporation (mm/day). W = Temperature-related weighing factor. Rn = Net radiation in equivalent evaporation (mm/day). f (u) = Wind-related function. (ea-ed) = Difference between the saturation vapor pressure at mean air temperature and the mean actual vapor pressure of the air (both in mb) . c = Adjustment factor to compensate for the effect of day and night weather conditions.

20. 20 Class A Pan Evaporation: ETo = Ep * Kp Where: ETo = Reference or Potential Evapotranspiration (mm/day) Kp = Pan co- efficient Ep = Pan evaporation (mm/day) Evaporation data is an average of about 13 years. Hargreaves and Saimani: ETo = 0.0023 RA (TD)½ (TC+17.8) (mm/day) Where: ETo = Reference or Potential Evapotranspiration (mm/day) RA = Solar radiation (mm/day) TD = (Tºmax - Tºmin) TC = (Tºmax +Tºmin)/2

21. 21 Reference Evapotranspration (ETo ) Calculated under the three methods

22. 22 Gross Irrigation Water Requirements (INg) calculated for a matured date palm tree (7 years old) using the three methods under three systems of irrigation

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25. 25 Estimated Date Palm Water Requirements For the different ages of the date palm tree (1-7years old ) under sandy loam soils

26. 26 Farmer’s Recommended (INg) - The whole year was divided into four periods - Sandy loam and sandy soils were considered Table (21a): Recommended Farmer's Date Palm Irrigation Requirements Soil type: Sandy loam Planting distance = 7m X 7m (200 palms/ha) Date palm propagation = Tissue-culture based Irrigation System = Bubbler

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28. 28 Irrigation Scheduling for Date Palm Difficult to determine accurately. Also time consuming Farmers depends on observation and changes in/on the plant but it is difficult to notice these changes. Import to provide the required irrigation water at the required time especially during the initial and crop development stages. A summarized table for matured date irrigation scheduling under basin and bubbler irrigation systems. Irrigation Schedule for Matured Date palm (Under Basin Irrigation)

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30. 30 Cost of Irrigation Water Date palm orchard depends on groundwater. Water at farm level not metered, hence over-pumping resulting in groundwater depletion and deterioration in irrigation water quality. Based on World Bank Form on cost of ground water, the cost of 1m³ of water pumped for irrigation was calculated. The total cost is about 0.30 DH ( Subsidized) and 0.34 DH ( Un-subsidized).

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32. 32 Government Institutions Dealing in Water Sector : Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authority ( ADWEA ) Dubai Electricity and Water Authority ( DEWA) Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority ( SEWA) Federal Electricity and Water Authority ( FEWA) Under it’s umbrella the following Emirates: RAK Ajman Fujairah Umm-al-Quaiyan Institutions incharge of Irrigation Water Management: Ministry of Environment and Water ( MOEW ) - Dept. of Water Resources and Dams - Dept of Irrigation and Soils. Federal Environment Authority - All aspects of water pollution (Agr., Induster., domestic activities) Regional Municipalities - Landscaping, parks and desalination plants.

33. 33 Research and Extension Research Stations: Spread all over the emirates, most notable Al-Humraniyah Agr. Research Station ( HARS) dealing with date palm. Field research on date palm related to water and fertilizer applications. Collaboration with national, regional and international centers. - Extension Centers: MOEW established a number of extension centers hat come under supervision of the Depts. of Agr. in the different region. Field related problems are solved and taken care of by the extension centers. Extension agents in dirrect contact with the researchers.

34. 34 Constraints Important constraints that are associated with the irrigation of date palm. Water Resources Management Monitoring of well drilling and over exploitation of the groundwater by farmers is weak. Absence of a National Water Training Centre to provide SMS. Water allocation policy not clear at the farm level. Farmer's involvement and participation in the water-related policies is weak. Agricultural Extension Systems Weak linkage between agricultural extension services and the various research stations. Insufficient number of extension staff in relation to farms .The ratio of the extension agent to farmers is very low. Insufficient number of SMSs in relation to the extension staff. Pre-and in-service training for the extension staff is unsatisfactory and the technical training by the SMS? is inadequate. Most of the training programmers concentrate on theoretical rather than on the applied field training. Training needs are not well identified and most of the training courses offered are short in duration and some times do not reflect the actual requirements. Periodic monitoring and evaluation of the extension system is weak

35. 35 Agricultural Research Systems: Usually researchers undertake scientific research work which does not generally relate to the farmer's problems. The feed back system is weak from the field to the research institutions. Collaboration and co-ordination between the various research institutions is somewhat weak and needs to be addressed. Collaboration with the regional and international research institutions is weak. Applied research work on date palm irrigation is limited. Studies on both fertilizer-use efficiency (f.u.e.) and water use efficiency (w.u.e.) on date palm are very limited or unavailable.

36. 36 Conclusions: The pressure on water resources, in particular groundwater resources, has been intense and somewhat alarming. Agricultural activities seem to consume 70-80% of the ground water resource. Groundwater aquifer is exploited at a rate greater than their sustainable yields. At the farm level, over pumping has resulted in both the reduction in the available water and the deterioration of groundwater quality. The concept of "When", "How much" and "How" to irrigate is not properly applied at the farm level. Date palm cultivation and dates production under groundwater irrigation has become a priority in the agriculture sector although there is limited research work on date palm irrigation. Date palm orchard management practices has been widely covered by researchers at MOEW. Farmers use less efficient systems of irrigation in their old farms (basin, flooding). On the newly established date farms bubblers and open polyethylene hoses are used . Due to poor supervision and insufficient knowledge on the water requirements and irrigation scheduling, excess water is applied which results in water and nutrients losses.

37. 37 Date palm gross irrigation requirements under basin, bubbler and drip systems of irrigation were 20740, 16850 and 15000 m³/ha. respectively. Daily water requirement for a matured date palm is between 260-300 l/day during the peak periods in summer ( June – September ), 180-200 l/day during ( October – November ) and between 140-155 l/day during winter period (December-February). Date palm irrigation scheduling is found to be 9-12 days interval during the winter period and between 5-6 days interval during the summer period. Drip irrigation system is preferred as a modern method of irrigation for date palm trees, but because of its concept of wetting only the top soil layer, farmers sometimes show their unwillingness for its use on their farms. Farmers' awareness programmes and active extension work by the agricultural extension agents would greatly help in this regard. Estimated date palm water requirements at different ages of the tree and at different soil conditions as well as irrigation methods, as referred to in this study, would help as a guideline for date palm irrigation.

38. 38 Recommendations: - Water Resources Management: Groundwater : Improved and centralization of groundwater data collection, analysis and monitoring, as well as the strengthening of the enforcement of groundwater legislation and regulations is to be stressed. Emphasis is to be given to the problems related to over exploitation and pollution of the aquifers. Establishment of a comprehensive water data bank at (MOEW) that could become a terminal in a regional data bank set up. Planting of uneconomic crops with high water requirements is to be discouraged. Surface Water : Since the surface water resources are limited, surface and subsurface storage is to be optimized and surface evaporation is to be minimized and surface water supplies to be protected from pollution. Waste Water : National standards for treated waste water is to be set-up that would play an important role as an additional water supply to be used in agricultural activities and other non-domestic purposes but at the same time environmental issues and contamination of groundwater aquifers are to be closely monitored. Brackish Water : Besides waste water re-use, brackish water after desalination could be considered as another source of non-conventional water resource.

39. 39 On Farm Water Management: Use of irrigation systems in co-operation with the research and extension service of MOEW. Drip irrigation is favored over less efficient methods for date palm irrigation. Metering of irrigation water at the farm turn-out to allow for the measurement of the Volume of water used at each farm unit .as irrigation water is a national economic commodity. Pricing on applied irrigation water will differ according to its quality. Crop water requirements, and in particular for data palm, has to be determined for the various regions taking into consideration the prevailing soil-water- climatic conditions. Training of farmers on the use of modern water management techniques including fertigation and the automation of on –farm irrigation network. Farmer's involvement in the preparation and participation in the policies related to the rational and economic use of irrigation water at the field level. Private sector participation.

40. 40 Research and Extension: Research: Applied research work on rational and economic al use of water (irrigation technologies, crop water requirement, data palm orchard management practices). Use of the different non-conventional water resource for irrigated agriculture (treated waste water, brackish water…) Piloting of improved water-related agricultural practices on the farmers fields. Co-operation with specialized national, regional and international centers dealing with date palm cultivation and dates production. More research work on increasing both f.u.e and w.u.e for date palm. Extension: Public awareness programs in the water as a means of informing and educating the farmers and the other water users of about the seriousness of the conservation and protection of the limited water resources. Training of extension agents at the national, regional or international level as SMS. More laison between extension agents and farmers. Distribution of more qualified extension agents to the different agricultural region of UAE.

41. 41 Capacity Building : Through continuous education, in service training, career development, and short and long term training . A national water training center would be of great help in providing skilled technicians and subject matter specialist (SMS) thus ensuring sound implementation of the national water sector policies.

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