Date Palm Biotechnology

The exploration of somaclonal variation is an approach that could provide date palm breeding programs with new genotypes. Naturally occurring or induced variants may have superior agronomic quality and/or enhanced performance but could also harbor new traits such as tolerance to drought and salinity or resistance to major diseases i.e. bayoud. This chapter summarizes recent progress in terms of studying and exploring date palm somaclonal variation, and provides an outlook about future applications of this biotechnology in this socioeconomically important crop.

The exploration of somaclonal variation is an approach that could provide date palm breeding programs with new genotypes. Naturally occurring or induced variants may have superior agronomic quality and/or enhanced performance but could also harbor new traits such as tolerance to drought and salinity or resistance to major diseases i.e. bayoud. This chapter summarizes recent progress in terms of studying and exploring date palm somaclonal variation, and provides an outlook about future applications of this biotechnology in this socioeconomically important crop.

During recent years, different approaches have been designed for the micropropagation of elite date palm cultivars. The most commonly used techno­logy approach is somatic embryogenesis which presents a great potential for the rapid propagation and genetic resource preservation of this species. Considerable progress has been made in the development and optimization of this regeneration pathway through the establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures. However, several problems still need to be solved and are currently under study, such as the abnormal differentiation of somatic embryo, the proliferation of endophytic bacteria within in vitro cultured material and the occurrence of somaclonal variants in regenerated offspring. The present review is aimed at providing updated and innovative information on recent progress, applications and prospects for somatic embryogenesis in the date palm.

During recent years, different approaches have been designed for the micropropagation of elite date palm cultivars. The most commonly used technology approach is somatic embryogenesis which presents a great potential for the rapid propagation and genetic resource preservation of this species. Considerable progress has been made in the development and optimization of this regeneration pathway through the establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures. However, several problems still need to be solved and are currently under study, such as the abnormal differentiation of somatic embryo, the proliferation of endophytic bacteria within in vitro cultured material and the occurrence of somaclonal variants in regenerated offspring. The present review is aimed at providing updated and innovative information on recent progress, applications and prospects for somatic embryogenesis in the date palm.

During recent years, different approaches have been designed for the micropropagation of elite date palm cultivars. The most commonly used technology approach is somatic embryogenesis which presents a great potential for the rapid propagation and genetic resource preservation of this species. Considerable progress has been made in the development and optimization of this regeneration pathway through the establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures. However, several problems still need to be solved and are currently under study, such as the abnormal differentiation of somatic embryo, the proliferation of endophytic bacteria within in vitro cultured material and the occurrence of somaclonal variants in regenerated offspring. The present review is aimed at providing updated and innovative information on recent progress, applications and prospects for somatic embryogenesis in the date palm.

In vitro-selection of date palm cultivars with an enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress represents a great support to the breeding program. This could lead to variants with superior agronomic quality and/or enhanced performance but also to genotypes harboring new traits such as tolerance to drought and salinity. In an era where a race has started towards functional food and nutraceuticals, this source of variation could also be explored to improve the nutritional value of dates. This chapter summarizes the recent progresses in date palm in vitro-selection and provides an outlook about future applications of the technique in this socio-economically important crop. It also highlights some of the challenges faced by this crop with regard to climate change and global warming.

During recent years, different approaches have been designed for the micropropagation of elite date palm cultivars. The most commonly used technology approach is somatic embryogenesis which presents a great potential for the rapid propagation and genetic resource preservation of this species. Considerable progress has been made in the development and optimization of this regeneration pathway through the establishment of embryogenic suspension cultures. However, several problems still need to be solved and are currently under study, such as the abnormal differentiation of somatic embryo, the proliferation of endophytic bacteria within in vitro cultured material and the occurrence of somaclonal variants in regenerated offspring. The present review is aimed at providing updated and innovative information on recent progress, applications and prospects for somatic embryogenesis in the date palm.

... (eds.), Date Palm Biotechnology, DOI 10.1007/978 ... This is perhaps related to the age of the explant source (Al-Khayri et al. ... has succeeded in commercially propagating date palms (male or female) from an inflorescence except in Al Ain City, UAE where male date palm has been ...

During recent years, different approaches have been designed for the micropropagation of elite date palm cultivars. The most commonly used techno­logy approach is somatic embryogenesis which presents a great potential for the rapid propagation and genetic resource preservation of this species. Considerable progress has been made in the development and optimization of this regeneration pathway through the establishment of embryogenic

... Antioxidants have received increased attention by nutritionists and medical researchers for their potential effects in the prevention of chronic ... their metal-chelating and radical-scavenging properties, phenols were considered effective inhibitors of lipid peroxidation (Mansouri et al ...

Genetic variability is needed for the improvement of crops, which can be either spontaneous or induced by mutagen treatments. The frequency rate of spontaneous mutations is very low and can't be used for plant breeding in developing new cultivars. Mutation breeding has been quite successful for producing new mutant cultivars with desirable traits in both seed and vegetative propagated crops (http://www-mvd.iaea.org). Somatic embryogenic cell cultures of date palm were irradiated with gamma radiation, and regenerated plants were transferred in the greenhouse and treated with Bayoud toxin, isolated from the causal fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. albedinis. Several selected putative mutants tolerant to Bayoud disease were initially maintained in the greenhouse and finally transferred in the field for further evaluation. These plants have maintained tolerance to Bayoud disease under field conditions.