International Journal of Plant Production 2 (3), July 2008 ISSN: 1735-6814 (Print), 1735-8043 (Online) This is a refereed journal and all articles are professionally screened and reviewed. GUASNR www.ijpp.info Yield and chemical composition of 'Piarom' date palm as affected by levels and methods of iron fertilization J. Saleh Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran E-mail: jsaleh11@yahoo.com Received 26 Sep. 2007; Accepted 15 Mar. 2008; Published online 01 June 2008 Abstract This research was conducted in order to study the effects of iron fertilization on yield and chemical composition of date palm var. 'Piarom', on 54 trees in Haji-Abad research station of Hormozgan Province. Trees were 12 years old and research treatments were consisted of: 1-Control treatment 2- Soil surface application of Fe in two levels 3-Application of Fe as localized placement method (Chalkood method) in two levels 4-Fe injection into the trunk of tree in four levels. The experiment was performed as a randomized complete blocks design with nine treatments and three replications in four years. Trees were pollinated according to the custom of the region and irrigated through drip system. Fruit thinning was done with extra clusters deletion regarding the ratio of eight leaves to one cluster. Production was harvested and weighted each year in October, the second half. Chemical and physical analysis of leaves and fruits were also done. Obtained raw data were analyzed statistically and means were compared with each other via Duncan , s multiple range test using MSTATC software. Results showed that in most cases, injection of 25 g FeSO 4 tree -1 into the trunk caused the best results. Other injection treatments were placed in second class. Localized placement of iron fertilizer was the next treatment from the viewpoint of desirable effects. Finally, soil surface application appeared as an inapt method because it was statistically similar to control treatment, in most cases. Keywords: Fe injection; Localized placement; Soil surface application Introduction The whole land under date cultivation in Iran is estimated about 185000 hectares (Anonymous, 2005) that over 37000 hectares of it is allotted to Hormozgan province, especially Haji-Abad region (Anonymous, 2006). This region is climatically apt to produce the most marketable date cultivar, 'Piarom'. Area under cultivation of this cultivar has regularly increased in recent years because of its desirable taste, size and moisture and its important role to improve farmers , income. Fruit trees and among them date palm, need optimum amounts of minerals for their best growth. Proper application of macro and micro nutrient fertilizers is necessary to increase