Kimri

Kimri is a horticultural term used to describe the earliest developmental stage of edible fruits on date palms (Phoenix dactylifera) and some related palm species. The term, which stems from Arabic, is part of a four-stage model that describes date fruit maturation.

During the kimri stage, fruits are green and immature. They are small to medium in size, relatively firm, and contain high moisture with limited pigment development. Sugar concentration is low and seeds are not fully developed. The kimri phase follows fertilization and fruit set and precedes the khalal stage, in which fruits reach full size and begin to change color; it is followed by the rutab and then the tamr stages as ripening progresses.

In agricultural practice, recognizing the kimri stage helps growers time pollination, irrigation, fertilization, pest management, and decisions about thinning or crop load. Management during kimri can influence subsequent fruit quality and yield, making stage-specific monitoring a common part of date palm cultivation.

Other uses of the term exist outside botany, where kimri may appear as a personal or place name in certain cultures. However, in encyclopedic contexts, the botanical sense described above is the primary focus. This article concentrates on the horticultural meaning and its role in understanding date fruit development.