A study of the vegetative and fruiting characteristics of date palms, cultivar " Burlsi " in Benghazi plain, Libya.

Abstract

The Benghazi plain is considered one of the agricultural areas for date palms on the Libyan coast due to the climate in this region that favors the cultivation of  many palm varieties that are consumed in the Balah and Ratb phases ,the most important of which is the Burlsi variety,This study Included the areas of AL-Lithama ,AL-Kuwaifya and Sidi Khalifa, and a plantation was chosen for each area ,and three trees of type were selected to make measurements on the vegetative and fruitful characteristics in the Balah and Ratb stages ,It became clear from the study that most of the vegetative characteristics are of great importance in distinguishing the Burlsi cultivar in each region, The characteristics of the Rachis base width, Petiol length ,Leaf length ,Blade length , Pinnae number, Spines number ,Pinnae length ,pinnae width and Pinnae area length In all regions and it was more clear than fruiting traits and the results of the fruit traits in the Balah and Ratb stages showed significant differences in the characteristics of fruit weight, flesh ,flesh thickness, seed and fruit diameter between regions  Also , the study areas poor in organic matter and the elements potassium and phosphorous  as it is limited to organic fertilization which led to a decrease in weights of fruits compared to many  areas of production in the Arab world.