Influence of light on date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) in vitro seed germination

Date tree (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a palm (Arecaceae) that produces nutritious fruits and has notable importance for many countries of the North of Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Asia. Due to the botanical characters and for the development in hot and barren regions and diverse types of soil, the date becomes an excellent option for the Brazilian Northeast. This study had as objective to study the seed germination of date palm cv. Khadrawy, being focused the photoblastic behavior of the seeds. The seeds were submitted to continuous dark and photoperiod of 12 hours. The experimental design used was completely randomized with four replicates of 25 seeds. Percentage and speed of germination were evaluated. Seed germination occurred in the presence of light and the dark, however the speed of germination was significantly higher in seeds submitted to continuous dark. The results allowed to classify the date palm seeds cv. Khadrawy as indifferent to light for germination.