This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of irrigation
systems and watering regimes on date palm production and fruit quality,
under the environmental conditions of AI-hassa oasis, Saudi Arabia. The
irrigation systems used in this study were the bubbler irrigation, traditional
flood irrigation and the trickle irrigation. Two types of date palm varieties were
studied Kha/as and Rezaiz during the season of 2000 and 2001 using split-
plot design the irrigation systems were the main plots and the varieties were
the split-plots with four replicates. Data indicated that vegetative and reproductive growths of date
palms were significantly affected by irrigation systems (flood, bubbler and
tickle irrigation). Drip irrigation significantly increased yield and fruit quality,
while no response was obtained under the three irrigation regimes during this
study between the two varieties. It was recommended that tickle irrigation systems are the most
convenient under the environmental condition of Al-Hassa oasis for the
irrigation of date palm trees.