​The scientific research entitled “The Complete Plastome of ‘Mejhoul’ Date Palm: Genomic Markers and Varietal Identification” won the Best Applied Scientific Research Award on Date Palm in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, during the 7th International Date Palm Festival, held on Wednesday, 17 December 2025.

The award was granted to Professor Dr. Nihad Smirat and Engineer Anwar Haddad, in collaboration with a team of researchers, in recognition of their scientific contribution in employing modern genomic technologies to identify the genetic identity of the Mejhoul date palm cultivar, thereby supporting the development of the date palm sector in Jordan.​