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Volume 6
Journal of Plant Biochemistry & Physiology
ISSN: 2329-9029
Plant Science 2018
October 29-30, 2018
October 29-30, 2018 | Valencia, Spain
6
th
Global Summit on Plant Science
In vitro
conservation of heterozygous plants: A case study of date palm
Shawky A Bekheet
National Research Center, Egypt
W
ith heterozygous plants, vegetative (asexual) propagation is usually used for commercial production/propagation of true
to type genotypes. Moreover, special approaches include maintenance in field gene banks and the storage in cold stores of
dormant vegetative forms is required for conservation of such germplasm. However, these methods have limitations regarding
efficiency, costs and long-term maintenance. Since date palm is a dioecious and heterozygous fruit tree, and for commercial
purposes most often vegetatively propagated through offshoots, it is difficult to store or handle its germplasm by conventional
means. Biotechnology techniques offer an alternative method for conservation of such plant material. In this respect, we set up
protocols for preservation of date palm tissue cultures for short term (3–6 months) by addition of osmotic agents to culture
medium and for mid-term (9-12 months) by reducing incubation temperature to 5°C. Moreover, cryopreservation has been
recognized for
in vitro
long-term storage of date palm cultures. Undifferentiated tissue and somatic embryos were cryopreserved
by freezing methods. A number of steps have been followed for cryopreservation, which includes: pre-culture in media with
verification compounds [22% (w/v) glycerol, 15% (w/v) ethylene glycol, 15% (w/v) propylene glycol and 7% (w/v) dimethyl
sulfoxide], treatment with cooling, storage at -196°C thawing and recovery. Furthermore, a successful system for preservation of
date palm germplasm via artificial seeds was realized. Somatic embryos (at late cotyledon stage) proliferated
in vitro
from shoot
tip cultures were encased in sodium alginate (3%) capsules and stored for 12 months and then regenerated to plantlets.
shawky005@yahoo.comJ Plant Biochem Physiol 2018, Volume 6
DOI: 10.4172/2329-9029-C1-003