Protocol for the Micropropagation of Commercial Cultivars of Date Palm (Phienix dactylifera L.)

Conventional propagation of date palm has been recently replaced by the micropropagation technology to keep pace of the national and international demands. In spite of a number of research papers, the commercially viable protocol for the propagation of date palm is limited. The present investigation deals with the establishment of a commercially feasible medium based protocol for the micropropagation of four elite cultivars (Barhee, Khalas, Mosaifah, and Sukkary) of date palm (Phienix dactyliferaL.) cultivated in Saudi Arabia. Shoot tip were considered as explants source for the development of embryogenic callus and embryogenesis using modified Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium supplemented with various combination and concentration of 2,4-D, NAA, 2iP, and Kinetin. Embryo multiplication, embryo germination and shoot elongation were controlled by the three different concentration of 2iP. The ratio of the optimum embryo multiplication and germination were recorded variable for the different cultivars with respect to different 2iP concentration. Best ratio for the embryo multiplication and germination was optimized and is considered as the key factor to keep pace of the plant regeneration at commercial scale. Four different modes were considered to standardize the cost effective rooting in all the four cultivars and their successful establishment during soil plantation. The MS full and half strength salt with polyurethane support matrix were proved effective for best rooting in all the four cultivars of present investigation. The rooted plants were successfully acclimatized in greenhouse using soil mix of peat moss, perlite, and sand.