INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT CARBOHYDRATE SOURCE ON IMPROVING In-vitro ROOTING, GROWTH AND EX VITRO SURVIVAL OF DATE PALM PLANTLET

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) micropropagation is assessed for its success by its ability to produce plants that have been successfully acclimatized. Shoots of Bartamuda cv. (dry cultivar) resulted from somatic embryogenesis which were cultured on MS medium supplemented with sugars as the main source of carbohydrates from establishment to rooting stage for induce root growth development with high quality of root system formation to generate a suitable plantlet for the success of acclimatization stage. This study aimed to use different various sugars types in MS medium to test the possibility of using it as a substitute for sugar as date palm syrub extract that have highest carbohydtrates percentage as well as nutrients, palm syrup extract prepared from unused fruits (shees that not pollinated) or glucose, upon this, the different treatments were used, i.e. sucrose 30g-l as a control treatment, glucose at 40 and 50 g -l, and date palm syrup extract at 10,20 and 30 ml-l. Throughout the experiment vegetative growth and leaves chemical contents were recorded, the best rooting response was obtained with20 ml-l date palm syrup and 40 g-l sucrose were produced highest plants and roots, increasing leaves and somatic embryogenesis numbers, leaves fresh and dry weights (g), whereas the medium containing 30 g-l sucrose and 10 ml-l date palm syrup successfully increased roots numbers, In addition, the plantlets which grown from the medium supplemented with 40 g-l sucrose or 20 ml-l date palm syrup have the superiority survival percentage of acclimatization stage, tallest plants and great numbers of leaves, also plantlets were grown on the medium includes 30 g-l sucrose and 20 ml-l date palm syrup possess highest leaves contents of chlorophyll a and indoles mg/g, moreover the highest levels of sucrose, date palm syrup and glucose for all levels haven’t induce effects on all tested estimations. Based on these results, date palm syrup can be used in the micropropagation technique as a sugars substitute and carbohydrates source which led to increasing benefits of the unused fruits that are not pollinated as the source of income from date palm yield.