Prospects of in vitro conservation of date palm genetic diversity for<br>sustainable production

Abstract

Plant genetic diversity is highly essential for the genetic improvement of crops for sustainableagriculture and its gradual loss is as a consequence to rapid human population growth, industrialization,deforestation, and natural calamities. In the future, the impact of climate change may have an adverseimpact on sustainable date palm productions as well other crops. The conservation, distribution and properutilization of plant genetic diversity/resources become necessary for the development and improvement ofdate palm cultivars for sustainable crop production. The conservation, distribution, and utilization ofnatural and induced genetic diversity have become essential by the establishment of gene/germplasm bankboth at the national and international levels. The Gene bank should encourage researchers to survey andmonitor the genetic diversity of natural populations and landraces on farmer's fields. In vitro conservationtechniques, cryopreservation or cryo-storage and cold storage, are excellent system for genetic resourcesconservation of forest trees and horticultural crops. Cold-storage approach has disadvantage of frequentsubculture and that may run into a risk of contamination and somaclonal variation. Cryo-storage has anadvantage of long-term storage without going through frequent subcultures and somaclonal variation. Forthis, in vitro cultures are suitable, e.g. somatic embryos/ cell suspension, callus, and should be able toregenerate plants with minimal somaclonal variation. In date palm, the most common in vitro cultureapproach has been somatic embryogenesis, which is very much dependent on genotype and culturemedium for plant multiplication, even though there is a risk of genetic variability among regenerated plantsFor the first time, cryo-storage of date palm somatic embryos was done in Tunisia, FAO/IAEA project, andplant regeneration is yet to be accomplished. In Asia, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources(NBPGRI, India) is the biggest germplasm bank, and conserves mainly local germplasm seed andvegetative propagated crops and introduces new crops as well.