Date Palm Agrobiodiversity (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Siwa Oasis, Egypt: Combining Ethnography, Morphometry, and Genetics

Battesti, Vincent; Gros-Balthazard, Muriel; Ogeron, Clémence; Ivorra, Sarah; Terral, Jean‐Frédéric; Newton, Claire

doi:10.1007/s10745-018-0006-y

Cited by 13 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…As such, they are not conceived as varieties, but qualities. Our former results based on genetic data undeniably validated this hypothesis for úšik, but it was more puzzling for given names like ú s ik ezzuwa for instance (Battesti & Gros-Balthazard et al, 2018). The ethnographic survey pointed out the controversial status of this named type (is it a single clone or not) among farmers in Siwa Oasis (Battesti, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

“…Nevertheless, our genetic analysis indicated that ú s ik niqbel was more likely a collection of multiple clones, a.k.a. an ethnovariety, rather than a true cultivar, while we did not have enough data to rule on rom a zāl (Battesti, Gros-Balthazard, et al, 2018). We also hypothesized that the named types might meet another order of categorization: inclusive local categories, the most obvious of which are male (ó em) and female seedlings (úšik).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…a cultivar. Another possibility, highlighted in our previous work in the oasis of Siwa, is to integrate this new genotype into an existing named type, because, from a local perspective, it is the very same variety, the same "form" or phenotype (Battesti, 2013;Battesti & Gros-Balthazard et al, 2018). This farming practice challenges the presumption of a named type being a true-to-type cultivar, i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also the cornerstone of the local economy of exportation to large urban centers. The oases have a very relative autarchy and selfsufficiency, their inhabitants export what they have in abundance: dates (Battesti, 2013;Battesti & Gros-Balthazard, et al, 2018). Extrapolating from early 20 th century data in Siwa, an estimate of 82% of the dates in value terms were exported (and 95% of the elite cultivar a idi) (Hohler and Maspero, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Siwa Oasis, we previously described a complex system where named types are not necessarily cloned genotypes, but so-called ethnovarieties or local categories (Battesti, 2013;Battesti & Gros-Balthazard, et al, 2018). To synthesize our "objectification" of the local organization of the date palm agrobiodiversity system, we proposed these definitions: -Cultivar or true-to-type cultivar: a set of clonal individuals, i.e., the association of a name and a single genotype reproduced vegetatively (asexually, by offshoot) by humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integration of ethnobotany and population genetics uncovers the agrobiodiversity of date palms of Siwa Oasis (Egypt) and their importance to the evolutionary history of the species

Gros-Balthazard

Battesti

Ivorra

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Crop diversity is shaped by biological and social processes interacting at different spatiotemporal scales. Here we combined population genetics and ethnobotany to investigate date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) diversity in Siwa Oasis, Egypt. Based on interviews with farmers and observation of practices in the field, we collected 149 date palms from Siwa Oasis and 27 uncultivated date palms from abandoned oases in the surrounding desert. Using genotyping data from 18 nuclear and plastid microsatellite loci, we confirmed that some named types each constitute a clonal line, i.e. a true-to-type cultivar. We also found that others are collections of clonal lines, i.e. ethnovarieties, or even unrelated samples, i.e. local categories. This alters current assessments of agrobiodiversity, which are visibly underestimated, and uncovers the impact of low-intensity, but highly effective, farming practices on biodiversity. These hardly observable practices, hypothesized by ethnographic survey and confirmed by genetic analysis, are enabled by the way Isiwans conceive and classify living beings in their oasis, which do not quite match the way biologists do: a classic disparity of etic vs. emic categorizations. In addition, we established that Siwa date palms represent a unique and highly diverse genetic cluster, rather than a subset of North African and Middle Eastern palm diversity. As previously shown, North African date palms display evidence of introgression by the wild relative Phoenix theophrasti, and we found that the uncultivated date palms from the abandoned oases share even more alleles with this species than cultivated palms in this region. The study of Siwa date palms could hence be a key to the understanding of date palm diversification in North Africa. Integration of ethnography and population genetics promoted the understanding of the interplay between diversity management in the oasis (short-time scale), and the origins and dynamic of diversity through domestication and diversification (long-time scale).

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 59%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Integration of ethnobotany and population genetics uncovers the agrobiodiversity of date palms of Siwa Oasis (Egypt) and their importance to the evolutionary history of the species

Gros-Balthazard

Battesti

Ivorra

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Physical properties and mass models of Deglet Noor and Arichti semi‐dry Algerian date fruits: A comparative study

Roumani,

Remmani,

Miladi

et al. 2024

Food Science & Nutrition

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For thousands of years, date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been a popular diet in arid and semi‐arid locations. It has religious importance for Muslims and is especially important during the holy month of Ramadan. The global output of date fruits has been continuously expanding, with Arab nations accounting for a sizable portion. The emphasis of this research is on two popular semi‐dry Algerian date fruit types, Deglet Noor and Arechti, which are grown in the Ziban region. These fruits' physical parameters, such as size, sphericity, surface area, volumes, and density, were determined. The goal of this study was to create a mass model based on these physical attributes to help in the grading and sorting of date fruits. Fruit mass was shown to be closely connected to linear dimensions, arithmetic and geometric mean diameters, surface area, and volumes. Correlations between mass and physical attributes were established using a variety of mathematical models, including linear, quadratic, S‐curve, and power models. The results demonstrated the applicability of specific factors for mass modeling, offering useful insights for the development of system sizing and conservation. With good correlation, multivariate data analysis was employed to correctly estimate the mass of both kinds. This research advances our understanding of the physical features of Algerian date fruits and their connection to mass, allowing for better handling, sorting, and packing processes in the worldwide date market.

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What lies behind a fruit crop variety name? A case study of the barnī date palm from al‐‘Ulā oasis, Saudi Arabia

Gros-Balthazard

Battesti

Flowers

et al. 2022

Plants People Planet

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The oasis of al-'Ul a is subject to a vast development operation by the central government of the Saudi monarchy. Agriculture is not strictly speaking the first objective of this initiative, the emphasis being on tourism and thus on the vast historical heritage and landscape qualities of the region. Nevertheless, agriculture and, in particular, phoeniculture remain the main resource for the inhabitants. Characterizing the local date palm agrobiodiversity is key to the sustainable development of oases. In al-'Ul a, documenting indigenous knowledge about the locally predominant barnī variety and characterizing its genetic integrity and mode of propagation represents the essential leverage needed by farm development project planners to develop local production. Summary• Understanding how farmers name and categorize their crops in relation to the way they are propagated is critical for a proper assessment of agrobiodiversity.Yet, indigenous knowledge is often overlooked in genetic studies, which may result in an underestimation of crop diversity, thereby preventing its conservation and mobilization for developing sustainable agroecosystems.Muriel Gros-Balthazard and Vincent Battesti contributed equally to this work.Transliteration system DIN-31635 (except API x for ‫خ‬ [h ˘]). All q af ‫ق‬ are pronounced g af (IPA: g) in al-'Ul a region.

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Date Palm Agrobiodiversity (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Siwa Oasis, Egypt: Combining Ethnography, Morphometry, and Genetics

Cited by 13 publications

References 32 publications

Integration of ethnobotany and population genetics uncovers the agrobiodiversity of date palms of Siwa Oasis (Egypt) and their importance to the evolutionary history of the species

Integration of ethnobotany and population genetics uncovers the agrobiodiversity of date palms of Siwa Oasis (Egypt) and their importance to the evolutionary history of the species

Physical properties and mass models of Deglet Noor and Arichti semi‐dry Algerian date fruits: A comparative study

What lies behind a fruit crop variety name? A case study of the barnī date palm from al‐‘Ulā oasis, Saudi Arabia

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