Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) is a woody plant of palm acacia. Date palm is mainly found in the Middle east and grows mainly in hot and dry areas. It is one of the main food crops in Arab countries and regions, and also is an important source of energy for the Arab population. It is known as "the tree of the Arab nation".

Since 2015, under the unified deployment and planning of Coconut Research  Institute, CATAS, the Germplasm Resources Department(GRD) has carried out the related research on date palm in a planned and orderly way, mainly includes collection and preservation of superior germplasm resources in date palm, introduction and propagation, efficient cultivation, physiological response mechanism to adversity and so on; More than 10 scientific research projects and more than 10 scientific research achievements have been made. At present, we have carried out active exchanges and scientific research cooperation with domestic and foreign scientific research institutions, and conducted excellent resource introduction, tissue culture technology exchange and talent exchange with UAE national tissue culture factory, Egypt agricultural development center date research institute and Pakistan Faisalabad agricultural university. At the same time, it also undertakes the date palm-related technical training task for students from "One Belt And One Road" countries, and strive to cultivate early suitable for China's hot areas of date palm varieties. The research on date palm has filled the gap in the field of Chinese date palm and enriched the germplasm resources of Chinese economic palm.

  Research Department

Germplasm Resources Department

Germplasm Resources Department is mainly engaged in tropical palm plants such as date palm and oil crops, It focuses on the collection, preservation, identification, evaluation and innovative utilization of good varieties. There are seven scientific staff in the GRD.

  Research Platforms

1. National tropical palm germplasm nursery (Date Palm)

2. China-UAE Joint Research Center for Date Palm

  Research Achievements

1. Investigation, collection, preservation and identification of date palm germplasm resources

Through the investigation of domestic and foreign date palm, we have done germplasm resources collection, preservation and preliminary identification and evaluation in Yunnan, Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Hainan and in the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. 33 samples of date palm germplasm resources of domestic and abroad were collected. About 30 acres date palm germplasm resources nursery is established.

2.   Date palm science and technology exchange and cooperation

Through visiting and exchanging with date palm experts from Pakistan, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and other major date palm producing countries, this will lay a solid foundation for the in-depth scientific and technological cooperation on date palm.