Pollen Preservation Approaches in Date Palm Cultivation: Assessing Effects on Viability, Fruit Quality, and Yield in ‘Mundra Selection-3’

Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) is a dioecious fruit crop that requires artificial pollination to achieve an optimal fruit set. The storage of pollen is an imperative technique to ensure the availability of viable pollen during the pollination period. Pollen grains play a significant role in determining the morphology of the fruit. The viability of pollen is essential for the dispersal of species, their fitness, and the survival of the succeeding plant generation. A study investigated the effect of 12-month stored pollen on the quality and yield of date palms and pollen viability. The experiment involved storing pollen at three different temperature conditions, namely room temperature (S₁), refrigerator 5 °C (S₂), and deep freeze −15 °C (S₃), and in four containers, including glass bottles (C₁), plastic bottles (C₂), polythene bag (C₃), and paper bag (C₄). The outcomes showed that the highest pollen viability was recorded in the deep freeze −15 °C condition with glass bottles after 12 months of storage. The utilization of glass bottles for pollen storage, coupled with a deep freeze temperature of −15 °C, demonstrated optimal outcomes, regardless of pollen viability. This method resulted in an enhanced fruit set, fruit retention percentage, yield and quality attributes, and a reduced fruit drop percentage, even after a storage period of 12 months before pollen application.