With the biotechnology expertise of the El Bassatine laboratory, Les Domaines Agricoles is producing large numbers of varieties and clones of carefully selected date palms. To do this, we take advantage of the technique of organogenesis, which makes it possible to obtain palms that conform to the mother plant from a genetic point of view, but above all that are disease-free.
The in-vitro technique of multiplication has many advantages over conventional multiplication.
Very high quality plants
The plants come from selected and known feet. Uniform and vigorous, they allow rapid growth in the field since they have an already well-developed root system, as opposed to rejection that requires more time to form new roots after separation process from the mother plant.
Large quantities available throughout the year
The availability of lots of large quantities of plants makes it possible to install economically viable plantations that can be modernized (automatic drip watering system, etc.).
A successful recovery in the field
The vigor of vitro plants and their root system ensures a very high recovery percentage that can be 100% when all the recommended measures are followed.
Healthy plants
In-vitro cultivation allows the production of plants free from diseases and parasites. The multiplication of pests such as the red palm weevil makes all circulation of plant material in the form of conventional and extremely dangerous rejections. Consequently, in-vitro cultivation has become the prefect technique for the exchange of plant material between different countries in the world.
Facilitated manipulation
The transport of plants in the form of plants rooted on agar medium facilitates their handling.
At the acclimation stage, their reduced size facilitates their transport. It is therefore possible to handle large quantities of plants and transport them over long distances, thus facilitating the organization of plantation ,regardless of where these activities take place.
A quick entry into production
Plantations made with vitroplants have showed in several countries a rapid entry into production compared to those made from conventional rejections.
The agricultural field laboratory, using the technique of multiplication by organogenesis on a large scale, has made available to producers hundreds of thousands of plants of clone Nadja, selected by INRA, which has become the backbone in the fight against Bayoud.
Nowadays, Morocco has a range of clones of unique date palms, that are extremely resistant to Bayoud.