Transgenic Date Palm

Abstract

Modern biotechnology creates unprecedented opportunities to improve agricultural productivity, decrease our dependence on potentially-harmful chemical pesticides and enhance our ability to produce food. The date palm has a considerable socioeconomic value and is mentioned repeatedly with appreciation in the Bible and Quran. The tree plays a key role in the Arabic nations and ought to gain special attention from Arabic governments and scientists. The date palm is the most suitable tree for cultivation in arid and semiarid regions of the world due to its low water demand, tolerance to high temperature, drought and salinity. Unfortunately, there are many biotic stresses that hinder expansion of date palm cultivation, productivity and accordingly date palm revenue. A literature search shows that most publications have been focused on in vitro propagation, and molecular characterization of date palm cultivars and tissue culture-derived plants. Research aimed at developing date palm transformation systems is lacking and date palm transformation seems to be in its infancy. The tree is a target host for several pests and diseases, so it is necessary to focus on its in vitro propagation and genetic engineering to overcome some of these problems. This review highlights ongoing efforts in date palm transformation and the expected role of genetic transformation in date palm improvement.