Fourth-year Report—Dec. 2023. Ethnographic, genetic, and morphometric analyses of the date palm agrobiodiversity in al-‘Ulā oasis

– Vincent Battesti & Muriel Gros-Balthazard (2023) — « Fourth-year Report—Dec. 2023. Ethnographic, genetic, and morphometric analyses of the date palm agrobiodiversity in al-‘Ulā oasis » Annual Report to AFALULA, Paris, Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, 43 p.
Notice: https://hal.science/hal-04335673

⟶ Annual report for the al-‘Ulā DPA project.

– Purpose of the document:

To establish a sustainable transformation of al-‘Ulā , it is imperative to conduct an accurate assessment of the agrobiodiversity inherent in the native date palm population. The variety of crops, including the diverse range of date palms within the oasis agroecosystem, is continually shaped by the expertise and knowledge of the local people. Our undertaking, the “Ethnographic, Genetic, and Morphometric Analyses of Date Palm Agrobiodiversity in al- ‘Ulā Oasis,” commonly referred to as al-‘Ulā DPA project, seeks to comprehensively explore the multifaceted biological and social aspects. This comprehensive approach aims to elucidate the intricacies of date palm agrobiodiversity in the oasis of al-‘Ulā in Saudi Arabia. This document offers an account of our progress throughout the fourth year (October 2022-September 2023).

Last date palm sampled in al-‘Ulā, number #510, a rare ḫaybariyyah in a garden of al-Ḥijr palm grove (belonging to a Sedentary), al-‘Ulā, Saudi Arabia, March 29, 2023, by Vincent Battesti