Rediscovering Siwi palm pruning products and available servicing technology for sustainable rural development

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Agricultural Construction Engineering and Environmental Control, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Egypt

2 Department of Agricultural Structures and Environmental Control Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt

3 Department of Agricultural Machinery and power Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Classes, Egypt.

Abstract

This manuscript aimed to rediscover Siwi palm pruning products and available servicing technology for sustainable rural development. Three commercial date palm plantations were selected in Assiut Governorate and the cities of Dakhla and Kharga in New Valley Governorate. Cultivars in the plantation were Siwi (Saidi). Results indicated that the average heights of the trunk ranged from 4.5 to 5 m and the average values of its diameters ranged from 65.5 to 85.5 cm. The rate of trunk elongation ranged from 24.5 to 39.4 cm/year for the Siwi (Saidi) cultivar. The palm trees were mostly not curvature; in addition, the trees had good steps for labor climbing. Professional workers were available to climb and prune palm trees using self-belayed climbing with a single-harness technique. Total operation time ranged from 15 to 30 minutes per palm. Labor productivity ranged from 2 to 4 palm/hr and operation costs ranged from 15 to 25 LE per one palm. The palm tree provides four main types of pruning products (Fronds, Petioles, Spadix stems, and coir). The largest percentage was palm fronds, which represented more than 60%, followed by petioles at a rate of up to 20%. Annual production of pruning products for the Siwi cultivar ranged from 58.15 to 67 kg/palm, with an average of 62 kg/palm for date palm plantations. The coir contains the lowest moisture content compared to other pruning products, where it ranged from 15.5 to 17.4%. While the average moisture content of the other products was fairly close and ranged from 40.6 to 56.1%. 

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