title: In vitro hermaphrodism induction in date palm female flower.
abstract: This study explores and reports on the gain brought to the morphogenetic aptitude of female date palm inflorescences through in vitro hermaphrodism induction. It investigates the main factors involved in the process of sex modification through hormonal induction, such as the floral developmental stage and hormone combination and concentration. It demonstrates that the vestigial stamens (staminodes) of female date palm flowers display a new and high capacity to proliferate under particular in vitro conditions, without blocking carpel's development, leading to morphologically typical hermaphrodite flowers. This de novo activation of repressed stamens was found to occur rapidly. The isolated pollen mother cells appear in the obtained anther's locules and undergo an ordinary microsporogenesis process. The data show that hermaphrodism induction depended heavily on both the growth regulators applied and the flower's developmental stage. They also confirm the early theory that suggests that dioecious plants come from a hermaphrodite ancestor. Such hermaphrodism control can provide new prospects and opportunities for the investigation of the in vitro self-fertilization process. It can also be useful in improving the understanding of the genetic mechanism involved in sex organ development in date palm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences Sfax, Route Soukra, BP 1171, 3000, Sfax, Tunisia. faizamasmoudi@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Faïza
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masmoudi-Allouche
authors.forename: Anissa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Châari-Rkhis
authors.forename: Walid
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kriaâ
authors.forename: Radhia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gargouri-Bouzid
authors.forename: Shri Mohan
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Noureddine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drira
mesh_terms: D028023:Arecaceae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D035264:Flowers / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D010937:Plant Growth Regulators / Q000494:pharmacology; D011058:Pollen / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D010937:Plant Growth Regulators