RESUMO
This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding different combinations of thiamine [5, 10, and 20 mg/l] and biotein [0, 1 and 2 mg/l] to culture medium on maturation of somatic embryos. Furthermore, the effect of MS-salt strength [[1/4], [1/2], [3/4] and full strength] on maturation of embryos was investigated. Embryonic calli were obtained from shoot tips and primordial leaves of three dry date palm cultivars [Bartamoda, Sakkoty and Malkaby]. Among the different treatments, a high frequency of mature embryos was proliferate from embryonic calli when cultured on [3/4] MS + 10 mg/l 2, 4-D + 3 mg/l 2iP + 10 mg/l thiamine HCL + 1mg/l biotein. This treatment gave 85.7%, 92.5% and 95.7% embryos with embryonic callus derived from shoot tip of Bartamoda, Malkaby and Sakkoty cultivars, respectively. However it was 58.7, 67.3 and 74.6 with those derived from primordial leaf explants of the three cultivars, respectively. Then, the obtained embryos of the three cultivars were successfully developed to shoots when recultured onto hormone free of [3/4] MS- salt medium