Water loss and polyethylene glycol-mediated acclimatization of in vitro-grown seedlings of 5 cultivars of date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) plantlets.

Plantlets derived from shoot-tips of seedlings from five cultivars of date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., were subjected to polyethylene glycol in liquid medium. Comparisons of water loss of detached leaves among in vitro-grown, polyethylene glycol-treated and greenhouse-grown plants showed significant differences with treatment for all cultivars studied. For each treatment, significant differences were also found among cultivars. The common result was that the percent of moisture loss of non-treated in vitro-grown plantlets was almost twice that of greenhouse-grown plants. Polyethylene glycol-treated plantlets showed a water loss of approximately 27%, similar to that of greenhouse plants as compared to an average of 40% in control plants. This demonstrates the possibility of using polyethylene glycol as an osmoticum for in vitro acclimatization of plantlets prior to transfer to soil.