The Effects of Genotype and Cytokinins on Embryogenic Callus Production of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

In order to optimize embryogenic calli production in date palm, meristematic tissues were excised from 2-3 years old offshoots of Zahedi, Kabkab and Dayri genotypes and cultured on MS medium containing 100 mg/l 2,4-D, 3 g/l activated charcoal, 30 g/l sucrose supplemented with different concentrations of zeatin and TDZ as cytokinin resources. The samples were incubated at 25±2oC in the darkness. Initial calli were generated from explants cultured in various treatments which were able to produce embryogenic callus after 6-8 weeks of sub culturing in the same medium. The best callus production was observed in 0.5 and 3.0 mg/l of zeatin with respect to Zahedi and Kabkab cultivars and 0.1 mg/l of TDZ for Dayri. Meanwhile, the shortest callus generation time was correspondent to Kabkab, Zahedi and Dayri genotypes, respectively.