In Vitro Long-Term Storage of Date Palm

A reliable method for the long-term conservation of date palm tissue cultures is described. In vitro shoot bud and callus culture were successfully stored for 12 months at 5°C in the dark. At this conditions high percent of cultures remained viable without serious signs of senescence. However, the growth rate decreased as storage period increased. The role of sorbitol as osmotic agent in storage was examined. Health shoot bud cultures were obtained after 6 months of storage on medium containing 40 g dm−3 sorbitol. This period extended for 9 months in case of callus cultures.