In Vitro Flowering of Date Palm

Masmoudi-Allouche, F.; Meziou, B.; Kriaâ, W.; Gargouri-Bouzid, R.; Drira, N.

doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1318-5_28

F. Masmoudi-Allouche⁴,
B. Meziou⁴,
W. Kriaâ⁴,
R. Gargouri-Bouzid⁵ &
…
N. Drira⁴

2451 Accesses
1 Citations

Abstract

Flowering is a complex process which is regulated by several intricate external and internal factors that make its induction under in vitro culture highly sensitive. Recently, in vitro flowering has been extensively investigated for many plant species and significant advances in the understanding of this phenomenon have been made. However, with regard to date palm trees, this research area remains virtually unexplored. Accordingly, the present chapter aims to present some observations concerning in vitro flowering of date palm, and discusses the possible factors involved in the in vitro flowering induction of these plants. It also describes in vivo flowering in date palm and the limitations associated with its requirements. The chapter goes on to present the genes controlling the flowering process and to discuss the in vitro induction of bisexual flowers in date palm. The chapter concludes by discussing the importance of in vitro flowering to date palm propagation and its implications for future programs of early sex determination and genetic improvement via hybridization practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 169.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 219.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 219.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Ainsworth C (2000) Boys and girls come out to play: the molecular biology of dioecious plants. Ann Bot 86:211–221
Article Google Scholar
Ammar S (1987) Contribution à l’étude des potentialités morphogénétiques exprimées en culture in vitro par de jeunes plantes de palmier dattier (Phœnix dactylifera L.) et des tissus qui en dérivent en culture. Doctoral thesis, Faculty of Science, Tunis
Google Scholar
Ammar S, Benbadis A, Tripathi BK (1987) Floral induction in date palm seedling (Phoenix dactylifera L. var. Deglet Nour) cultured in vitro. Can J Bot 65:137–142
Article CAS Google Scholar
Bais HP, Sudha GS, Ravishankar GA (2000) Putrescine and silver nitrate influences shoot multiplication, in vitro flowering and endogenous titers of polyamines in Cichorium intybus L. cv. Lucknow local. J Plant Growth Regul 19:238–248
PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Bais HP, Sudha GS, Ravishankar GA (2001) Influence of putrescine, silver nitrate and polyamine inhibitors on the morphogenetic response in untransformed and transformed tissues of Cichorium intybus and their regenerants. Plant Cell Rep 20:547–555
Article CAS Google Scholar
Benbadis A, Ammar S, Drira N et al (1985) Evolution du modèle arcuitectural du palmier dattier (Phœnix dactylifera L.) liée aux modalités de la multiplication végétative et à l’expression de la néoténie en culture in vitro. International colloque on tree, France, pp 14
Google Scholar
Bernier G, Kinet JM, Sachs RM (1981) The physiology of flowering, vol II. Transition to reproductive growth. CRC Press, Boca Raton
Google Scholar
Bernier G, Cremer F, Huijser P (1999) Pourquoi les plantes fleurissent. Biofutur 187:22–26
Article Google Scholar
Bouguedoura N (1980) Morphologie et ontogenèse des productions axillaires du palmier dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.). C R Acad Sci Paris 291:857–860
Google Scholar
Bouguedoura N (1991) Connaissance de la morphogenèse du palmier dattier Phœnix dactylifera L. Étude in situ et in vitro du développement morphogénétique des appareils végétatif et reproducteur. Doctoral Thesis, USTHB, Alger
Google Scholar
Calonje M, Cubas P, Martínez-Zapater JM, Carmona MJ (2004) Floral meristem identity genes are expressed during tendril development in grapevine. Plant Physiol 135:1491–1501
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Charlesworth D (2002) Plant sex determination and sex chromosomes. Heredity 88:94–101
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Cronquist A (1988) The evolution and classification of flowering plants. New York Botanical Garden, Bronx
Google Scholar
Darwin C (1877) The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species. Murray, London
Google Scholar
Das P, Samantaray S, Rout GR (1996) Organogenesis and in vitro flowering of Echinochloa colona. Effect of growth regulators and explant types. Biol Plant 38:335–342
Article CAS Google Scholar
Dellaporta SL, Calderon-Urrea A (1994) The sex determination process in maize. Sci 266:1501–1505
Article CAS Google Scholar
Demason DA, Tisserat B (1980) The occurrence and structure of apparently bisexual flowers in the date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L. (Arecaceae). Bot J Linn Soc 81:283–292
Article Google Scholar
Drira N (1983) Multiplication végétative du palmier dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.) par la culture in vitro de bourgeons axillaires et de feuilles qui en dérivent. C R Acad Sci Paris III 296:1077–1082
Google Scholar
Drira N, Benbadis A (1985) Multiplication végétative du palmier dattier (Phoenix dactylifera L.) par réversion, en culture in vitro, d’ébauches florales de pieds femelles adultes. J Plant Physiol 119:227–235
Google Scholar
Floh EIS, Handro W (2001) Effect of photoperiod and chlorogenic acid on morphogenesis in leaf discs of Streptocarpus nobilis. Biol Plant 44:615–618
Article CAS Google Scholar
Franklin G, Pius PK, Ignacimuthu S (2000) Factors affecting in vitro flowering and fruiting of green pea (Pisum sativum L.). Euphytica 115:65–73
Article CAS Google Scholar
Galoch E, Czaplewska J, Burkacka-Łaukajtys E, Kopcewicz J (2002) Induction and stimulation of in vitro flowering of Pharbitis nil by cytokinin and gibberellin. Plant Growth Regul 37:199–205
Article CAS Google Scholar
Gocal FW, King RW, Blundell CA et al (2001) Evolution of floral meristem identity genes: analysis of Lolium temulentum genes related to APETALA1 and LEAFY of Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol 125:1788–1801
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Groenewald EG, Van Der Westhuizen AJ (2004) The effect of various lipids on flowering of Pharbitis nil in in vitro culture. Biol Plant 48:637–639
Article CAS Google Scholar
Guttman DS, Charlesworth D (1998) An X-linked gene with a degenerate Y-linked homologue in a dioecious plant. Nature 393:263–266
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Hackett WP (1985) Juvenility, maturation, and rejuvenation in woody plant. Hortic Rev 7:109–155
Google Scholar
Halle F, Oldeman RAA, Tomlinson PB (1978) Tropical trees and forests: an architectural analysis. Springer, Berlin
Google Scholar
Handro W (1983) Effects of some growth regulators on in vitro flowering of Streptocarpus nobilis. Plant Cell Rep 2:133–136
Article CAS Google Scholar
Harada H, Murai Y (1998) In vitro flowering on long-term subcultured pear shoots. J Hortic Sci Biotech 73:225–228
Google Scholar
Hee KH, Loh CS, Yeoh HH (2007) Early in vitro flowering and seed production in culture in Dendrobium Chao Praya Smile (Orchidaceae). Plant Cell Rep 26:2055–2062
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Heylen C, Vendrig JC (1988) The influence of different cytokinins and auxins on flower neoformation in thin cell layers of Nicotiana tabacum L. Plant Cell Physiol 29:665–671
CAS Google Scholar
Irish EE, Nelson T (1989) Sex Determination in monoecious and dioecious plants. Plant Cell 1:737–744
Article PubMed Google Scholar
Jumin HB, Ahmad M (1999) High-frequency in vitro flowering of Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack. Plant Cell Rep 18:764–768
Article CAS Google Scholar
Jumin HB, Nito N (1996) In vitro flowering of Fortunella hindsii (Champ.). Plant Cell Rep 15:484–488
Article CAS Google Scholar
Kachonpadungkitti Y, Romchatngoen S, Hasegawa K, Hisajima S (2001) Efficient flower induction from cultured buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum L.) node segments in vitro. Plant Growth Regul 35:37–45
Article CAS Google Scholar
Kater MM, Franken J, Carney KJ et al (2001) Sex determination in the monoecious species of cucumber is confined to specific floral whorls. Plant Cell 13:481–493
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Kenza L, Chlyah H (1998) Vegetative multiplication of date palms from in vitro cultured inflorescences: effect of some growth regulator combinations and organogenetic potential of various cultivars. Agronomy 18:573–580
Article Google Scholar
Lebel-Hardenack S, Grant SR (1997) Genetics of sex determination in flowering plants. Trends Plant Sci 2:130–136
Article Google Scholar
Masmoudi-Allouche F, Chaâri-Rkhis A, Kriaâ W et al (2009) In vitro hermaphrodism induction in date palm female flower. Plant Cell Rep 28:1–10
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Masmoudi-Allouche F, Meziou B, Kriaâ W et al (2010) In vitro flowering induction in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.). J Plant Growth Regul 29:35–43
Article CAS Google Scholar
Murashige T, Skoog F (1962) A revised medium for rapid growth and bioassays with tobacco tissue cultures. Physiol Plant 15:473–497
Article CAS Google Scholar
Neelu S (1997) In vitro completion of vegetative and floral phase of salt - stressed Brassica juncea var. BN - 1. Plant Tissue Cult Biotech 3:160
Google Scholar
Negrutiu I, Vyskot B, Barbacar N et al (2001) Dioecious plants: a key to the early events of sex chromosome evolution. Plant Physiol 127:1418–1424
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Ng M, Yanofsky MF (2001) Function and evolution of the plant MADS-box gene family. Nat Rev Genet 2:186–195
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Nixon RW (1959) Pollinization, breeding and selection of date palms. In: FAO International technical meeting date products and processing, pp 22–41
Google Scholar
Nixon RW, Furr R (1965) Problems and progress in date breeding. Date Growers Inst Rpt 42:2–5
Google Scholar
Nozeran R (1954) Contribution à l’étude de quelques structures florales (essai de morphologie florale comparée). Thèse Doct, Etat Sci Nat Fac Sci, Montpellier
Google Scholar
Pierik RLM (1990) Rejuvenation and micropropagation. Newsl Int Assoc Plant Tissue Cult 62:11–21
Google Scholar
Quoirin M, Lepoivre P (1977) Etude de milieu adapté aux cultures in vitro. C R Acad Sci Paris 281:1309
Google Scholar
Ranasinghe RATD, Abayagunawardana AGNI, Hettiarachchi HIDD et al. (2006) In vitro flower induction in Gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii Adlam). In: Eighteenth annual congress of the PGIA, pp 16–17
Google Scholar
Renner SS, Ricklefs RE (1995) Dioecy and its correlates in the flowering plants. Am J Bot 82:596–606
Article Google Scholar
Saaidi M (1979) Contribution à la lutte contre le Bayoud, fusariose vasculaire du palmier dattier. Thèse Doct, Univ Dijon
Google Scholar
Saritha KV, Naidu CV (2007) High frequency plant regeneration and in vitro flowering of regenerated plantlets of Spilanthes acmella Murr – An important threatened bio-insecticide medicinal plant. Acta Hortic 756:183–198
CAS Google Scholar
Saxena SN, Kaushik N, Sharma R (2008) Effect of abscisic acid and proline on in vitro flowering in Vigna aconitifolia. Biol Plant 52:181–183
Article CAS Google Scholar
Schmitz J, Franzen R, Ngyuen TH et al (2000) Cloning, mapping and expression analysis of barley MADS-box genes. Plant Mol Biol 42:899–913
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Sim GE, Goh CJ, Loh CS (2008) Induction of in vitro flowering in Dendrobium Madame Thong-In (Orchidaceae) seedlings is associated with increase in endogenous N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)-adenine (iP) and N⁶-(Δ²-isopentenyl)-adenosine (iPA) levels. Plant Cell Rep 27:1281–1289
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Tang AF, Cappadocia M, Byrne D (1983) In vitro flowering in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). Plant Cell Tissue Org 2:199–206
Article CAS Google Scholar
Tanurdzic M, Banks JA (2004) Sex determining mechanisms in land plants. Plant Cell 16:61–71
Article Google Scholar
Taylor NJ, Light ME, Staden JV (2005) In vitro flowering of Kniphofia leucocephala: influence of cytokinins. Plant Cell Tissue Org 83:327–333
Article CAS Google Scholar
Theissen G, Saedler H (1999) The golden decade of molecular floral development (1990–1999): a cheerful obituary. Dev Genet 25:181–193
PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Theissen G, Becker A, Di Rosa A et al (2000) A short history of MADS-box genes. Plant Mol Biol 42:115–149
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Thorpe TA (1980) Organogenesis in vitro: structural, physiological and biochemical aspects. In: Vasil IK (ed) Perspectives in plant cell and tissue culture. Academic, New York, pp 71–111
Google Scholar
Tomlinson PB (1961) Anatomy of the monocotyledons. II. Palmae. Clarendon, Oxford
Google Scholar
Triki MA, Zouba A, Khoualdia O et al (2003) Maladie des feuilles cassantes or brittle leaf disease of date palms in Tunisia: biotic or abiotic disease? J Plant Pathol 85:71–79
CAS Google Scholar
Wang S, Tang L, Chen F (2001) In vitro flowering of bitter melon. Plant Cell Rep 20:393–397
Article CAS Google Scholar
Wang G, Yuan M, Hong Y (2002) In vitro flower induction in roses. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Plant 38:513–518
Article CAS Google Scholar
Yu H, Goh CJ (2000) Identification and characterization of three orchid MADS-box genes of the AP1/AGL9 subfamily during floral transition. Plant Physiol 123:1325–1336
Article PubMed CAS Google Scholar
Zhang T (2007) In vitro flowering of Perilla frutescens. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Plant 43:91–94
Article Google Scholar
Zhang Z, Leung DWM (2000) A comparison of in vitro with in vivo flowering in gentian. Plant Cell Tissue Org 63:223–226
Article CAS Google Scholar
Zhong H, Srinivasan C, Sticklen MB (1992) In vitro morphogenesis of corn (Zea mays L.). Planta 187:490–497
Article CAS Google Scholar
Zhou JH, Zhou JR, Lin BC, Din J (2004) Influences of 6-BA and amino acids on flower formation from cotyledons of cucumber in vitro. Plant Physiol Commun 6:31–33
Google Scholar

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technology in Tunisia and the International Atomic Energy Agency, under TC Project RAF/5/049. The authors would like to thank the staff of the Regional Centre of Oasian Agriculture Research in Deguache (southern Tunisia) for their help in providing offshoots from Tunisian cultivars. They would also like to thank Dr. Ismail El Hadrami, Chef of the Plant Physiology Laboratory in Marrakech for kindly providing plant material from Moroccan cultivars. Thanks are also due to Prof. Anouar Smaoui from the English section at the Sfax Faculty of Science for his constructive language polishing services.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Sfax, Road Soukra, 1171, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia
F. Masmoudi-Allouche, B. Meziou, W. Kriaâ & N. Drira
Department of Biology, Institute for Engineering studies, University of Sfax, Road Soukra BPW, 3038, Sfax, Tunisia
R. Gargouri-Bouzid

Authors

F. Masmoudi-Allouche
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
B. Meziou
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
W. Kriaâ
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
R. Gargouri-Bouzid
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar
N. Drira
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to F. Masmoudi-Allouche .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

, Department of Applied Biology, University of Helsinki, Latokartanonkaari 5, Helsinki, 00014, Finland
Shri Mohan Jain
, Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, King Faisal University, Al-Hassa, 31982, Saudi Arabia
Jameel M. Al-Khayri
Middlebrook Ave 3726, Cincinnati, 45208, Ohio, USA
Dennis V. Johnson

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Masmoudi-Allouche, F., Meziou, B., Kriaâ, W., Gargouri-Bouzid, R., Drira, N. (2011). In Vitro Flowering of Date Palm. In: Jain, S., Al-Khayri, J., Johnson, D. (eds) Date Palm Biotechnology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1318-5_28

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1318-5_28
Published: 13 July 2011
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-1317-8
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-1318-5
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics