A REVIEW ON THE MECHANIZATION OF DATE PALM CULTIVATION

Abstract

Date palm is an important cultivation for arid regions and its cultivation is expanding, though challenges for its modernization still remain partially unsolved: the mechanization of the most important farming operations is not fully developed, though various attempts have been carried out over time. The aim of this review paper is to provide an overview on the most characterizing research works directed at mechanizing farm operations for date palms on the three main morphological zones: crown, trunk, and roots. Various parameters such as maneuverability, working height, payload, cost, and working capacity have been considered by different authors for the performance analysis of their proposals, though safety is considered by all the main driver of the research. The projects that have been developed and the relevant results can provide a useful reference for those who want to engage in further developing this sector or in applying some of the more effective proposed solutions. In order to promote this field of research, these attempts of mechanization of date palm cultivation need to concretize it with commercialised devices and machines mainly by strengthening the channels of technological transfer between the university and the socio-economic world on the one hand, and by encouraging the industry to adopt these research results, on the other