Articles
DATE PALM CROP IMPROVEMENT VIA T X D HYBRIDIZATION INTEGRATED WITH IN VITRO CULTURE TECHNIQUE
Article number
829_31
Pages
219 – 224
Language
English
Abstract
Crop improvement in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is very slow due to slow growth and long life cycle of the plant.
Using conventional methods, breeding programs are extremely lengthy and preference is given to vegetative clonal propagation.
Plant tissue culture can be used to reduce the time required to achieve crop improvement in terms of fruit size and quality and height of trees.
Tall tree height in date palm is one of the major difficulties affecting date production.
Conventional breeding techniques incorporated with plant tissue culture techniques were successfully implemented to develop tall date palm by dwarf date palm (T x D) hybrid date palms in Kuwait.
Female date palm cultivars Barhi, Madjhool, and Sultana were pollinated with male pollen of dwarf date palm (Phoenix pusilla). Fertilization followed by fruit set was achieved in all three female date palm cultivars.
However, seed development was arrested followed by embryo abortion.
Seedless fruit were obtained in all three cultivars pollinated with dwarf date palm.
Immature hybrid embryos from the three cultivars were successfully isolated from the sterilized immature fruits and cultures were established in vitro.
Plantlets were produced using embryo culture techniques using modified MS medium.
Adventitious rooting of plantlets was achieved in vitro using 0.1 mg/L NAA and rooted plantlets were acclimatized using standardized date palm acclimatization procedures.
Acclimatized T x D hybrid date palms were planted in the field and maintained for growth and flowering.
This is believed to be the first successful trial on T x D hybrid production in date palms.
Using conventional methods, breeding programs are extremely lengthy and preference is given to vegetative clonal propagation.
Plant tissue culture can be used to reduce the time required to achieve crop improvement in terms of fruit size and quality and height of trees.
Tall tree height in date palm is one of the major difficulties affecting date production.
Conventional breeding techniques incorporated with plant tissue culture techniques were successfully implemented to develop tall date palm by dwarf date palm (T x D) hybrid date palms in Kuwait.
Female date palm cultivars Barhi, Madjhool, and Sultana were pollinated with male pollen of dwarf date palm (Phoenix pusilla). Fertilization followed by fruit set was achieved in all three female date palm cultivars.
However, seed development was arrested followed by embryo abortion.
Seedless fruit were obtained in all three cultivars pollinated with dwarf date palm.
Immature hybrid embryos from the three cultivars were successfully isolated from the sterilized immature fruits and cultures were established in vitro.
Plantlets were produced using embryo culture techniques using modified MS medium.
Adventitious rooting of plantlets was achieved in vitro using 0.1 mg/L NAA and rooted plantlets were acclimatized using standardized date palm acclimatization procedures.
Acclimatized T x D hybrid date palms were planted in the field and maintained for growth and flowering.
This is believed to be the first successful trial on T x D hybrid production in date palms.
Authors
C. Sudhersan, Y. Al-Shayji, S. Jibi Manuel
Keywords
date palm hybrid, embryo rescue, in vitro culture, crop improvement
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