@techreport{fdi:010096681,
  title = {{E}thnographic, genetic, and morphometric analyses of the date palm agrobiodiversity in al-{U}la oasis : al-{U}la {DPA} {P}roject {F}inal {R}eport (2019-2025)},
  author = {{B}attesti, {V}. and {G}ros-{B}althazard, {M}uriel},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}his {F}inal {R}eport presents the outcomes of the project '{E}thnographic, {G}enetic, and {M}orphometric {A}nalyses of the {D}ate {P}alm {A}grobiodiversity in al-{U}la {O}asis' (2019-2025),




















hereafter referred to as the al-{U}la {DPA} {P}roject. {C}onducted through an agreement between {AFALULA} and the {CNRS} & {N}ew {Y}ork {U}niversity {A}bu {D}habi, the project adopted an




















interdisciplinary framework integrating social anthropology, population genetics, morphometrics, and archaeobotany to document and analyze the exceptional




















agrobiodiversity of the date palms of al-{U}la ({K}ingdom of {S}audi {A}rabia). {O}ver six years, the project combined extensive fieldwork and laboratory analyses and




















generated substantial qualitative and quantitative datasets on local diversity, classification systems, cultivation practices, and genetic and morphological variation. {A} purposive sampling




















strategy, informed by local knowledge and grove management contexts, ensured that biological material was collected in a representative and well-documented manner. {T}he




















resulting genomic dataset 'based on the sequencing of 539 date palms, the largest sets ever produced for a single oasis' together with an extensive morphometric reference of seeds,




















provided robust baselines for interpreting both present-day diversity and its long-term historical foundations. {F}or the first time, the project also produced a comprehensive inventory




















of varieties in al-{U}la and clarified their current status and distribution. {T}aken together, these results demonstrate that date-palm agrobiodiversity in al-{U}la




















constitutes both a cultural and a biological resource of strategic importance. {T}he project provides {AFALULA}, {RCU} and the wider scientific community with tools and reference datasets




















that can inform conservation priorities, guide nursery production and planting strategies, support varietal identification and traceability, and contribute to sustainable development




















and heritage initiatives in the oasis. {B}y integrating ethnographic, genomic, morphometric and archaeobotanical perspectives, the al-{U}la {DPA} {P}roject positions al-{U}la as a reference site for




















future research on date-palm diversity and the long-term evolution of oasis agroecosystems.},
  keywords = {{ARABIE} {SAOUDITE} ; {AL}-{ULA}},
  address = {{A}bou {D}habi ({ARE}) ; {P}aris ({FRA}) ; {M}arseille},
  publisher = {{NYU} ; {CNRS} ; {IRD}},
  series = {},
  pages = {39  multigr.},
  year = {2025},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096681},
}