Morphological and biochemical characterization and in vitro regeneration of an elite Tunisian date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) cultivar ‘Boufeggous’

This study was conducted to investigate morphological and biochemical characteristics and potential for in vitro regeneration of the elite and extremely rare Tunisian date palm cultivar ‘Boufeggous’ grown at Tozeur oasis. The results revealed that ‘Boufeggous’ dates are heavier (19.83 versus 11.95 g), longer (50.1 versus 42.76 mm), wider (23.3 versus 18.63 mm), and higher pulp/fruit ratio (91.96 versus 89.06%) than ‘Deglet Nour’. Chemical composition study showed that ‘Boufeggous’ is predominantly rich in sugar and total soluble solids which could explain its unique sweetness and high energy value. The moisture content, pH level, titrable acidity and water activity were 23.16 ± 0.54, 5.3 ± 0.13, 1.7 ± 0.01 and 0.73 ± 0.01, respectively. In terms of minerals, ‘Boufeggous’ is rich in K and Na. In vitro regeneration on Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium comprising 1 mg/l 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid appears to be the most effective stimulant of somatic embryogenesis and shoot organogenesis on both shoot tips and young leaf explants. Thidiazuron only acts on young leaves by stimulating embryogenic callus production with a frequency of 30%.