Courtesy of the UCANR News
Scientists to present research on irrigation, nutrients, disease, pests and regulations
The 2025 California Date Palm Workshop will be held on April 23 in Palm Desert at the UC Riverside Palm Desert Center. Anyone who is interested in growing dates is welcome to attend.
“This workshop brings together researchers, growers and stakeholders to discuss recent research data on the ‘state of the date’ crop in California,” said workshop organizer Ali Montazar, UC Cooperative Extension irrigation and water management advisor for Imperial, Riverside and San Diego counties.
The international date research workshop runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Scientists will share the latest research and information on various aspects of date production, including irrigation and nutrient management, disease and pest management, and laws and regulations.
Abdelouahhab Zaid, secretary general of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, will speak about the development of date palm cultivation regionally and internationally.
Ricardo Salomon-Torres, research professor at Universidad Estatal de Sonora San Luis Río Colorado, will discuss the status of the date palm industry in Mexico.
Montazar will discuss irrigation management. Mark Hoddle, UC Cooperative Extension biological control specialist based at UC Riverside, will give a presentation on South American palm weevil in California., Spider mites, date nutrition and the aspergillus species causing black mold of dates are among other topics that will be discussed.
“We also will have a grower panel discussion on the concerns and the needs of the California date industry,” Montazar said. “This event is such a great opportunity to showcase how impactful date palm production and agriculture is in the low-desert region.”
Participation is free, but registration is requested at https://ucanr.edu/datepalm2025. Onsite registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at the UCR Palm Desert Center at 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92211.
For more information, contact Ali Montazar at amontazar@ucanr.edu or Kristy Kneiding at kkneiding@datesaregreat.com.
