ASHS 2024 Conference

Date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., is one of the oldest fruit crops grown in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa and the Middle East and plays a significant role in the economy, society, and environment in these areas. ‘Medjool’ is considered one of the most desirable date varieties worldwide. Skin separation, also known as “puffy skin”, is a widespread phenotypic phenomenon mostly seen in soft varieties such as‘Medjool’ and ‘Barhee’. Skin separation is a market defect that is a commercial disadvantage. In this study, we conducted a metabolomic study of 'Medjool’ fruits at the date genebank maintained in Thermal, California by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Date fruit were harvested at the tamar stage (the fruit development stage in which the puffy skin phenotype develops). The metabolomes found in mature date fruits exhibiting non-puffy and puffy phenotypes were characterized. In this study, targeted central carbon metabolism analysis was carried out to identify 126 total metabolites with 95 significant metabolites (p-value < 0.05) (75.4%). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was carried out, revealing that specific metabolites were associated with the non-puffy skin phenotype, and other metabolites with the puffy skin phenotype.. These metabolomes included those associated with skin elasticity and integrity, supporting studies suggesting the involvement of mechanical properties of date fruit skin.