Page 17 - Almanacco_ENG_2016

only older farmers practice it, as young people consider it degrading.Good pollination requires a great deal of experience and intimate knowledge of the various phases of the date palm tree. A small branch full of pollen needs to be cut from the male tree and intro- duced into the female flower when it is ready to receive it. This requires the ability to “sense” when the most suit- able time is for each variety, paying at- tention to synchronization between the male pollen and the female flower. You also need to know how to climb to the top of the palm tree!In spring, Ahmed watches the flow- ers. If the pistils are facing outwards, it means “the female flower has smelled the scent of the male pollen,” and a new season begins.17