ADVANCED STUDIES ON IN VITRO FORMATION OF SYNTHETIC SEEDS OF DATE PALM

Abstract

This study has been carried out in Tissue Culture Laboratory of Agricultural Development System project (ADS), Giza, Egypt on date palm (Phoenix dactylifena L. ) cv. Samani, during the period from 1997--2002. 6-1 Experiment 1:Production of hydrate encapsulated_ somatic embryos (SEs):-

6-1-1 Effect of sodium alginate and calcium salts: ) 6-1-1-1 Effect of CaC2HO:•

1- Increasing the concentration of sodium alginate from 2 to 4% (w/v) decreased significantly the encapsulated SEs conversion frequency (%).

2- The most effective concentration of CaC1.2HO to give the highest conversion percentage (%) was 25 mM and this was followed by 100 mM.

3- A 2% (w/v) sodium alginate upon complexation with 25, 50, 75 and 100 mM exhibited the highest significant conversion frequency (%). While using 4 % (w/v) sodium alginate upon complexation with 50 or 125 mM of CaCl.2HO gave the lowest significant conversion frequency (%). Morphological observation indicated that an encapsulation matrix of 4% (wlv) sodium alginate complexing with 100 or 125 mM CaCl.2H,0 within an ion exchange duration for 30 min. were most suitable for formed uniform, sufficiently firm beads and solid enough to cause considerable delay in encapsulated SEs conversion frequency (%) through 8 weeks, at the same time the shoots and roots of encapsulated SES still emerge easily and the beads formed by these treatments which