Propagation process of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) using tissue culture techniques.

Abstract

The invention relates to a process for propagating date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) using tissue culture techniques, employing unopened female flower spathes as the starting material, to produce a large number of genetically uniform seedlings, entirely female, and retaining the superior characteristics of the mother plant.The process includes the following main steps: (i) selection and processing of culture material from unopened female flower bracts, sterilization, separation of flower bud hyphae, and inoculation into Murashige and Skoog (MS) media; (ii) callus induction by culturing flower buds on MS medium supplemented with 2,4-D and kinetin under dark conditions; (iii) somatic embryogenesis through callus transfer to MS medium with reduced 2,4-D concentration combined with kinetin and culture under alternating light conditions; (iv) shoot regeneration by transferring somatic embryos to MS medium supplemented with benzyl adenine (BA) and naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and culture under alternating light conditions; (v) root formation and plant completion by culturing shoots on MS medium supplemented with indol-3-butyric acid (IBA) and activated charcoal.This invention is highly effective in rapidly propagating date palm trees, overcoming the limitations of traditional methods, especially in controlling the sex of seedlings, improving genetic uniformity and increasing the propagation coefficient, contributing to the proactive provision of high-quality seed sources for agricultural production.