Effect of Copper Sulfate and Zinc Oxide on the Growth of Vegetative Buds and Microbial Contamination in Date Palm Tissue Culture (cv. Barhi) in vitro

Document Type : Research paper

Authors

1 Date Palm Research Center, University of Basrah, Basra-Iraq

2 College of Agriculture, University of Basrah, Basra-Iraq

10.22059/ijhst.2024.372925.787

Abstract

Zinc oxide and copper sulfate can assist in plant growth and development if they are added appropriately to plant nutrition. In plant tissue culture, microbial contamination negatively affects bud quality and causes numerous issues in the process of plant regeneration. Adding zinc oxide and copper sulfate can enhance bud characteristics and inhibit microbial contamination. This research aimed to investigate the effects of copper sulfate and zinc oxide as microbicides to inhibit microbial contamination during in vitro plant tissue culture and further assess the effects of both compounds on growth characteristics. Both compounds were added to the culture medium at various concentrations (0, 30, 60, and 90 mg/L). Initial vegetative buds of the Barhi date palm variety were cultivated at six months of age. The results showed that zinc oxide is more effective than copper sulfate in stimulating plant vegetative growth and root development. In addition, higher concentrations of both compounds enhanced growth characteristics. Thus, zinc oxide and copper sulfate positively affected plant pigment content, mostly carotene. On the other hand, chlorophyll content was not significantly affected. Furthermore, zinc oxide was more effective than copper sulfate in reducing fungal and bacterial contamination, with the highest concentration (90 mg/L) yielding optimal results. These results suggest that zinc oxide and copper sulfate can effectively enhance the success rate of date palm tissue culture.

Keywords



Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 31 January 2024
  • Receive Date: 24 February 2024
  • Revise Date: 05 June 2024
  • Accept Date: 07 June 2024