Somatic Embryogenesis in Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cv. Sukary in Response to Sucrose and Polyethylene Glycol

The effects of sucrose and polyethylene glycol (PEG) 8000 on production of somatic embryogenesis of date palm cv. Sukary were investigated. Treatments of the experiment were composed of in vitro media that included, 0, 30 and 60 g L-1 sucrose alone or combined with PEG-8000 at 5% level. The results indicated that sucrose at a high level of 60 g L-1 improved production of embryos. Furthermore, the production of embryos, however, was greatly enhanced by the addition of PEG-8000 at 5% with 60 g L-1 sucrose. On this medium, the embryo germination and maturation was also enhanced. Adding PEG-8000 to 60 g L-1 sucrose media induce stress condition during embryos formation and development. This is the first report on the use of sucrose and polyethylene glycol when date palm cv. Sukary are used as explant.