Atypical Summer Flowering in Date Palms in the Middle Drâa Oases

Abstract

Date palms, a vital Moroccan crop that typically flowers once a year, displayed a rare double flowering phenomenon in the summer of 2023. This study investigated the occurrence of this phenomenon across three small oases in the Zagora region of southeastern Morocco. Field surveys revealed that 60% of spring-blooming palms also produced a second bloom in July, affecting trees of all ages, sexes, and varieties. This secondary flowering cycle featured a compressed development period, leading to limited fruit enlargement and a failure of most fruit to reach maturity. Analysis suggests that climatic fluctuations, specifically a delayed temperature rise during the normal spring cycle and relatively cooler shifts in July 2023, likely disrupted the palms’ reproductive schedule, triggering the anomaly. Despite the failed second harvest, the phenomenon did not have a negative impact on the palms’ productivity for the subsequent year, confirming that double flowering is a complex, climate-influenced event that requires further research to understand its full implications for local date production.