STUDY OF EMBRYOGENIC DEVELOPMENT IN SOFT, DRY AND SEMI-DRY CULTIVARS OF DATE PALM (Phoenix dactylifera L.)
MOHAMMED ABDULAMEER HASAN ALNAJJAR
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
WASEN FAUZI FADHIL ALPRESEM
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
MAJID ABDULHAMEED IBRAHIM *
Department of Horticulture and Landscape Design, College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the difference in embryogenic development through the anatomical study of the flowers of three cultivars of dry (‘Derry’), semi-dry (‘Zahdy’) and soft (‘Barhee’) date palms, were cultivated in Basrah Governorate, Southern of Iraq, and all were pollenated with the male cultivar ‘Ghanami Akdher’. Female flower samples were collected after several periods of pollination (6, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, and 96 hours). The growth of the pollen tube from the stigma to the embryonic sac and the development of the three carpels in these flowers were traced through anatomical sections. The results showed that the female flower at the beginning of its early stages and before the fertilization process contains three ovaries in the middle of each of them a chamber dedicated to the ovule. This ovule is connected to the inner wall of the ovary by a cylindrical growth that protrudes from the placenta tissue called the funiculus. After 6 hours of pollination, some pollen tubes began to grow on the surface of the stigma, and there was no trace of the pollen tube passage channel. The 12 hours after the pollination process, the pollen tube passage channel appeared for all the female cultivars under study. The samples after 24 hours of pollination process, found that the pollen tube for all the female cultivars under study had developed in its growth to the style ovary tissue penetrated towards the embryonic sac. The cultivars differed from each other in terms of the growth and development of the pollen tube after 36 hours of pollination. The pollen tube developed and grew through the style ovary and embryonic sac to reach the ovule and caused double fertilization to occur for the 'Barhee' cultivar.48 hours after the pollination process, the results indicated that double fertilization took place in the female flowers of the 'Zahdy' cultivar. The 72 hours after pollination, fertilization was found in the female flowers of the 'Derry' cultivar, where the passage channel of the pollen tube disappeared, the fertilized egg developed, and the other two unfertilized ovules began to decay and decrease in size. The flowers of the three cultivars had completed the fertilization process before the 96 hours after the pollination process, and the fertilized ovules had grown and developed clearly and significantly, and the unfertilized ovules continued to decay, and there was no trace of the pollen tube passage channel.
Keywords: Anatomy section, double fertilization, embryo sac, funiculus, pollination, stigma.
How to Cite
Downloads
References
Al-Jubouri HJ. The Importance of Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) trees in the State of Qatar. The National Teaching Course on Applications of Plant Tissue Culture in Improving Plant Production. 2002;1-25.
Ibrahim AO. Date palm tree of life. The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Lands (ACSAD). League of Arab States, Damascus, Syrian Arab Republic. 2008;199-217.
Al-Najjar MAH, Al-Hamad ADS. A comparative anatomical study of the leaves of the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in dry, semi-dry and soft cultivars. Jordan Journal of Agricultural Science. 2016; 12(4):1325-1331.
Ibrahim AO, Khalaf AN, Abdul- Wahid MS. Certain physico-chemical changes during growth and maturity of fruits of two date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivars 2. Chemical Characteristics. Basrah Date Palm Res. J. 2001;1:11-19.
DeMason DA, Stolte KW, Tisserat B. Floral development in Phoenix dactylifera L. Proceeding of the first symposium on the date palm, March23-25, King Faisal Univ, Al-Hasaa, Saudi Arabia. 1982; 46-59.
Abbas KI. Chromosomal, anatomical and phenotypic study of some cultivars of date palm. PhD Thesis, College of Science, University of Basrah, Iraq. 2000; 165.
Zaid A, deWet PF. Date palm cultivation. FAO Plant production and protection, United Nations. 2002;167.
Al-Najjar MAH. An evaluation and taxonomic study of the date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) males developing in the central and southern regions of Iraq. Ph.D. Thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Basra, Iraq; 2014.
Khafaji MA Microtechnics of botanicals, College of Agriculture, Mansoura University, Egypt. 2001;312.
Bashir SZ. Your Guide to the SPSS Statistical Program. The 10th Edition, Arab Institute for Training and Statistical Research. Iraq. 2003;262.
Simpson MG. Plant Systematic. 3rd Edition. Elsevier Academic Press, California, USA. 2019;774.
Matar AM. Palm cultivation and production. Dar Al-Hikmah Press. University of Basrah, Iraq. 1991;240.
Heywood VH, Brummitt RK, Culham A, Seberg O. Flowering Plant Families of the World. Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books; 2007. ISBN: 1-55407-206-9.
Al-Bajlani ANR. Study the growth and embryogenic development of the 'Sukari' cultivar date palm flowers, and some factors affecting fruit set. M.Sc. Thesis, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad, Iraq. 1985;89.
Al-Attar AA. A study of the embryogenic development of the flowers and fruits of the date palm 'Khedrawi' cultivar and its relationship to the time of pollination and the split of the spadix of pistillate inflorescence. Date Palm Journal. 1986; 4(2):19-36.