DATE PALM (PHOENIX-DACTYLIFERA L) CULTIVAR IDENTIFICATION BY RFLP ANDRAPD

An RFLP analysis of five date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) elite cult ivars (cvs. Barhee, Deglet Nour, Khalassa, Khadrawy, and Medjool) has been performed on offshoot leaves surrounding the shootips used to ini tiate tissue culture. Total DNA digested by EcoRI was hybridized with cDNA probes randomly selected from a cDNA library constructed from hig hly organogenic calli of cv. Boustammi Noire, and with a heterologous 1.7-kb nuclear rDNA fragment, amplified during a polymerase chain reac tion (PCR) of jojoba genomic DNA. Discrimination among the five cultiv ars was easily made with cDNA probe 1, which was highly polymorphic. A polymorphism among cultivars was also observed by amplification with random primers of total DNA extracted from offshoot leaves. Preliminar y attempts made to assess the extent of variability at the DNA level a s a result of tissue culture, are also reported. With the availability of probes such as cDNA 1, the use of RFLP for rapid and reliable cult ivar identification, and screening of cultivated populations with econ omically important traits in date palm growing countries is now concei vable.