USING GROWTH RETARDANTS FOR PRESERVATION OF DATE PALM SOMATIC EMBRYOS

Hassan, Mona M.; Abd-El Kareim, Abeer H. E.; EL-Banna, A.

doi:10.21608/jacb.2009.90285

USING GROWTH RETARDANTS FOR PRESERVATION OF DATE PALM SOMATIC EMBRYOS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Central Laboratory for Date Palm Res. and Development, Agric. Res. Center, Giza, Egypt

10.21608/jacb.2009.90285

Abstract

         The purpose of this study is to devise a simple and reliable method for in vitro storage of date palm cultures through slowing growth by reducing temperature and growth retardants. Direct somatic embryos of Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Bartamuda were preserved in vitro in modified MS medium supplemented with growth retardants Abscisic acid (ABA), Paclobutrazol (PBZ), Ancymidol at 1, 2, 4 mg/L or Chlorocholine chloride (CCC) at 0.25, 0.5,1,4 mg/L.
            Somatic embryos cultured on medium without growth retardants were used as a control. All treatments were incubated under 27 or 18 ^◦C to study their effects on survival percentage and chemical contents after 18 months. Preserved somatic embryos were transferred to normal conditions and cultured on fresh culture medium without growth retardants where they grown for 4weeks. The survival percentage of embryos was lowest when embryos were previously cultured on medium without growth retardants and when were incubated under 27^◦C. Somatic embryos preserved on media with 2mg/L CCC or ABA had a higher survival percentages.
            Somatic embryos preserved on 2mg/L CCC had a higher survived percentage, higher significant values of total sugar, non reducing sugar, L-proline and lowest significant value of total phenols. Preserved embryos were successfully complete their growth and developments in subsequent stages in vitro and were transferred to green house with higher survival percentage and normal growth.

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