Abstract
There are some limitations in the practical applications of in vitro date palm tissue culture, such as low multiplication efficiency, low rooting rate, and high mortality experienced by in vitro raised plantlets during laboratory to soil transfer. The objective of the present study is to determine the effect of polyamines (putrescine "PUT" and spermidine" SPD") and silver thiosulfate (STS) on enhancing propagation of date palm cv Quntar in vitro. Media supplemented with 75 mg L-1 SPD in combination with 10 mgL-1 STS gave the highest percentage of callus producing buds (83.34%) and average bud formation (16.3) per jar. The addition of PUT and STS to the medium was most effective in root regeneration and the number of roots per shoot, where the best result 91.67% and 6.37 roots per shoot, respectively, were obtained using 75 mgL-1 PUT and 10 mgL-1 STS, resulting in fast-growing plantlets during acclimatization phase, reaching 90% of plant survival. The genetic fidelity assessment of plants derived from micropropagation was confirmed by RAPD analysis. Four operon primers were used, and all of them showed amplified unambiguous (OPA02, OPC-04, OPD-07, and OPE-15). All generated bands were monomorphic and had no variation among the tissue culture-derived plants tested. Accordingly, these results indicate that adding polyamines and silver thiosulfate to the nutrient medium of date palm cv. Quntar is beneficial in improving shoot organogenesis, rooting, and production of genetically stable date palm plants.
Trials on Acclimatization of Tissue Culture Derived Date Palm Plants (Phoenix dactylifera L).
