Induction of direct somatic embryogenesis in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Hellawi

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of auxins and cytokinins on direct somatic embryogenesis in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Hellawi. Results revealed that the high rate of direct somatic embryos (25%) were obtained from shoot tip explants cultured on MS medium supplemented with naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) 50 mg/L + 2,4-diclorophenoxy acetic acid (2,4-D) 10 mg/L + 6-ɤ-ɤ-(dimethlally amino)- purine (2ip) 3 mg/L, while shoot tips grown on MS medium containing NAA 50 mg/L + 2,4-D 5 mg/L + 2ip 3 mg/L gave less rate (15%) of induction of direct somatic embryo. The highest frequency of somatic embryo germination (88.88%), roots and shoots numbers and length (2.57, 3.87, 3.25 and 3.53 respectively) were obtained on MS medium containing 6-benzyl amino purine (BAP) 4 mg/L, Kinetin (KN) 4 mg/L and NAA 0.1 mg/L (RM4). Shoots were individualized successfully by using temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB) system. Rooted shoots were acclimatized successfully under green house conditions