Precision Pneumatic Pollination for Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Date Palm Cultivation

Precision pneumatic pollination represents a promising sustainable agricultural practice for improving pollination efficiency, biological resource-use efficiency, and the sustainability of date palm cultivation under arid conditions, where labor shortages and limited pollen availability constrain productivity. This study developed and evaluated a portable pneumatic precision pollination system for low-height date palm orchards using an integrated framework combining engineering, biological, and ergonomic assessments with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and desirability-based multi-response optimization. Field experiments investigated three airflow velocities (8.5, 11.0, and 13.5 m s−1), three carrier materials, and three pollen–carrier mixing ratios (1:3, 1:5, and 1:8). Increasing airflow velocity significantly improved material delivery rate, effective pollination reach, Pollination-outcome consistency, and fruit set, whereas higher pollen–carrier mixing ratios improved pollen-use efficiency without reducing pollination effectiveness. The highest fruit set (81.60%) and the most improved pollination consistency (CV = 6.2%) were achieved at 13.5 m s−1 using the male spathe flower (MSF) carrier with a 1:8 pollen–carrier ratio, while desirability-based optimization identified 13.5 m s−1 with the female bunch strands (FBS) carrier and a 1:8 ratio as the optimum overall operating condition. The novelty of this study lies in establishing an integrated engineering-to-field optimization framework that supports data-driven optimization of precision pollination systems, improves biological resource utilization, and advances sustainable precision farming practices for date palm production.