SUGAR AND FREE AMINO-ACID-COMPOSITION OF 5 CULTIVARS OF DATES FROM OFFSHOOTS OR VITROPLANTS IN OPEN FIELDS

Morphological and chemical analyses of mature dates related to the pro pagation method (traditional vegetative propagation and two different methods of in vitro multiplication) of the date palm are presented. No significant differences were seen among Bou Sthammi noire, Mejhool, T hoory, and Zahidi cultivars propagated by traditional methods and by t he French Group on Date Palm Research in vitro multiplication techniqu e, based on axillary budding. These results could indicate that the vi troplants conform to mother trees. Of the five cultivars studied, only the Deglet Nour dates, obtained from callus (somatic embryogenesis), showed divergences in sugar and amino acid composition. In this case, Deglet Nour vitroplants contain no sucrose, more glutamic acid, glutam ine, gamma-amino-butyric acid, and arginine, and less alanine. We coul d suppose that variations were introduced by the micropropagation tech nique.