Article
Article
Date
Article By:
Aguiar, Jose L. University of California Cooperative Extension Riverside County, Indio, California.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.181100
The date palm, Phoenix dactylifera, which is one of the oldest cultivated tree crops. The date palm provides a staple food for many populations in the Middle East and North Africa and is also highly valued for feed, fiber, and shelter. Beginning in the 1890s, plant collectors working for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) began to import date offshoots from Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and Iraq into the Salt River Valley in Arizona and then into the Coachella Valley in California, and the United States date industry was born. Date production and culture continue to challenge farmers around the world. See also: Arecales; Food engineering; Fruit; Fruit, tree; Horticultural crops
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