Fruit physicochemical and antioxidant properties of wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris Roxb.) accessions under the western part of West Bengal

Abstract: The date palm is regarded as one of the most nutritious fruits of the arid zone. Fruits are eaten fresh as hard, ripe, or soft dates and are high in calories, iron, magnesium, vitamins, and antioxidants. There is a high potential for expanding the area, production, and processing of date palm as a rain-fed fruit crop in the Western dry tract of West Bengal, where wild types grow abundantly without human intervention. Thus, the current study was conducted to investigate the physicochemical and antioxidative properties of fifteen wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris Roxb.) genotypes (P-1 to P-15) from various locations in the Bolpur Sriniketan Block of the Birbhum district during the year 2022 in order to identify superior genotypes for commercial exploitation through a future breeding programme. The majority of the genotypes showed early-to-mid season fruiting with consistent fruit bearing. Date palm genotypes P-6, P-2, P-15, and P-12 had larger fruit sizes, higher pulp content, and higher TSS. The P-1 accession had the highest fruit productivity value (27 bunches/tree). Notably, at the rutab stage, accessions P-1, P-6, P-2, P-15, and P-12 had significant sugar content, indicating excellent fruit quality and antioxidant richness. These genotypes are recommended as ideal candidates for propagation and subsequent cultivation due to their outstanding characteristics.