In vitro response of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) inflorescence explants to high 2iP and 2,4-D concentrations

Abstract

One of the major problems related to the implementation of date palm crops in Brazil is propagation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of using tissue culture technique for the in vitro propagation of this species. Hence, the effect of 2iP and 2,4-D on the in vitro response of date palm inflorescence tissues, related to floral bud swelling, callusing, and rhizogenesis, was evaluated. The absence of 2,4-D was more detrimental to the in vitro response of inflorescence bud explants than absence of 2iP. In treatments without addition of 2,4-D to the culture medium, explants did not have swelling, callus or root formation. The treatment containing 150 mg/L 2,4-D in the presence of 1.5 mg/L 2iP initiated explant swelling, and treatments with either 100 mg/L or 150 mg/L 2,4-D, combined with 3.0 mg/L 2iP, were also efficient in stimulating in vitro swelling of inflorescence buds. Rhizogenesis was induced at the highest concentrations of 2,4-D (100 and 150 mg/L), combined with 4.5 mg/L 2iP, and was visually more evident in the treatment containing 150 mg/L 2,4-D + 4.5 mg/L 2iP. These results suggest that even higher concentrations of these two reagents might be efficient in the micropropagation of new existing date palm genotypes in the Submedium São Francisco River Valley.

Conservation of superior Egyptian date palm genotypes through in vitro culture of inflorescence explants

“…The largest date palm producers in the world in 2014 were Egypt (1,465,030 tons), followed by Iran (1,156,996 tons) and Algeria (934,377 tons). Regarding date palm cultivated area, Iraq has the largest area, with 242,632 hectares, followed by Algeria (165,378 ha) and Iran (150,207 ha) as reported by FAO (2017); Ribeiro et al (2020). In vitro propagation of date palms has been widely studied in several countries Aslam et al, 2011;Eldin and Ibrahim, 2015), including the use of inflorescence segments as explants (Zayed et al, 2016;Ribeiro and Teixeira, 2017;Ribeiro et al, 2020).…”