In vitro mutagenesis for improving date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

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.