(MENAFN - Daily News Egypt) North African date palms are a hybrid between cultivated date palms from the Middle East and a different, wild species of palm, a recent study revealed. When the researchers say 'Middle East' they exclude the Egypt, Libya, and other Arab African countries that were mentioned as 'North African' countries. There have been suggestions, for example, that North African date palms may have been domesticated independently from date palms in the Middle East. Findings of the study revealed that about 5-18% of the North African date palm genome is derived from the Cretan wild palm. Compared to date palms from the Middle East, the hybridisation of Middle East varieties with wild Phoenix theophrasti has led to increased genetic diversity in the North African date palms.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 16, 2019 13:41 UTC