Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the oldest known tree grown in the world’s arid regions. It has been cultivated for centuries because of its enormous cultural, agricultural, and environmental benefits. Recently date palm groves have been declined drastically due to anthropogenic, abiotic and, biotic stresses. Attaining sustainable farming and optimum crop production requires frequent monitoring of the physiological status of date palms. This demands rapid and non-destructive estimation of chlorophyll concentration in date palm leaflets overtime. In this study, four date palm cultivars, exhibiting distinct concentrations of chlorophyll, were used to assess the potential of using SPAD-502+ and CCM-200 portable chlorophyll meters to estimate the concentration of chlorophyll in date palm leaflets. Regression analyses were performed to model the relationship between the absolute concentration of chlorophyll measured in vitro and the optic indices of the two portable chlorophyll meters (SPAD and CCI). The results revealed that polynomial and power prediction models, which demonstrated remarkably close fits to each another, are the best functions to parameterize the relationships. The calibration models developed in this study were very strong and recorded high coefficient of determinations along with low relative errors for both the cultivar-specific fits (R2 ≥ 0.89; Error % ≤ 18.3) as well as the generic species-specific fits (R2 ≥ 0.822; Error % ≤ 25.0). The results confirmed that both SPAD-502+ and CCM-200 are equally effective tools for rapid and nondestructive estimation of chlorophyll concentration in date palm leaflets.

Throughout human history, the date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been an integral part of the rich heritage of the Kingdom of Bahrain. Dates have played a fundamental role in the economy and the social life of Bahrain's patrimony. However, the revolutionary changes that have accompanied the discovery of oil have had a massive impact on the cultivation of date palms. A number of factors have reduced interest in making investments in date palm cultivation; among them are socioeconomic changes, climatic conditions, limitation of freshwater, salinization of agricultural lands, and the spread of indigenous and invasive alien pest species. Over the last decades, the number of date palm trees has decreased from 892,000 to 534,600; those remaining are currently distributed over the fi ve governorates of the Kingdom. In spite of the challenges, Bahrain is striving to care for date palms as a state symbol and national treasure. Ex situ germplasm gene banks, in vitro facilities, and quarantine regulations and legislations have been established for the date palm. Nevertheless, Bahrain's annual yield does not exceed 16,000 mt. Consequently, improving date palm industry is a necessity to emphasize that the date palm tree is a valuable asset that unites and integrates the variant parts of the ecosystem and keeps it intact as a stable, well-defi ned, and sustained entity. Longterm sustainable development demands modernization of the currently performed conventional practices of date palm care, harvesting and postharvesting processes, trading, and marketing, which have not risen to the standards required. In this regard, this chapter describes the current status of the date palm cultivation in Bahrain and the threats confronting the date palm conservation and industry development and aims to highlight potential resolutions and prospects.

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