Varietal Diversity of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in Southwestern Oases of Algerian Sahara: A Review

We designate here the name designate ‘oasis’ (Wit in Egyptian, Wah in Copte, Waha in Arabic et in Persian, Neve in Hebrew, et Ouasis in Greek), points located in the desert and which are distinguished from the surrounding environment by more or less abundant vegetation. The date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is the backbone of the oasis and it is the one that must be protected. This review has the objective to explain the typological and agroecosystem of Saoura oasis and its contraints. The data obtained in this study are based on statistics from national and international institute like CRSTRA, ONID, ITDAS and RADDO and also from surveys and prospecting missions with the help of farmers who have given us all the routes carried out in their fields and the main constraints that affect this kind of crop. The data obtained showed that the oasis has certain pedoclimatic, geological and hydrogeological properties specific to the arid environment. The oasis agrosystem studied (saoura) has certain specificities compared to others, such as the absence or presence of certain constraints on the date palm such as the bayoud and the date moth. Regarding varietal diversity, ‘Feggous and H-mira’, these are the most important varieties in Saoura region, but are sensitive to certain constraints such as Bayoud, which requires the selection of new resistant varieties.