Abstract
The genetic fidelity of date palm plantlets (Phoenix dactylifera L. 'Sagai and Khalas') derived from somatic embryogenesis was tested before and after cryopreservation with (+LN) and without (-LN) liquid nitrogen. Fifteen randomly selected In vitro subcultures were assessed for genetic fidelity using twenty inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) primers. The maximum similarity recorded between mother plants and plantlets derived from embryogenic calli of date palm cultivar Sagai and Khalas after cryopreservation (+LN) was 100%, whereas the minimum similarity was found to be 97.8 and 97.0%, respectively. The average percent similarity was found to be 98.9 and 98.5 for both cultivars, respectively. The maximum similarity recorded between mother plant and plantlets derived from embryogenic calli of Sagai or Khalas without cryopreservation (-LN) was 100%). However, the minimum similarity was 98.9 and 98.0%>with an average of 99.4 and 99% for both cultivars, respectively. Our results indicate that plantlets of these cultivars derived from embryogenic calli after cryopreservation (+LN) and non-cryopreservation showed similarity to their mother plants at the genetic level.