Resurrecting Judean date palms

Researchers report germination of seven ancient Judean date palm seeds as well as insights gained from genetic sequencing of the ancient plants. Resurrection genomics aims to answer questions about past and possibly extinct populations by reviving biological material through mechanisms such as germinating ancient seeds. Thirty-five Judean date palm seeds excavated from archaeological sites in the southern Levant had previously been planted, and seven seeds dating from between the 4th century BCE and the 2nd century CE successfully germinated and grew. Michael D. Purugganan and colleagues sequenced the genomes of these ancient date palms and compared the sequences with those of modern varieties. The authors found that seeds older than the 1st century BCE were related to modern West Asian varieties. Seeds beginning in the 2nd century BCE showed a genetic resemblance to modern North African populations, with evidence of hybridization between the date palm Phoenix dactylifera and the wild Cretan palm P. theophrasti, resulting in introgression of parts of the wild Cretan palm genome into cultivated date palms. The results suggest that the hybridization of Cretan with Judean date palms had begun by around 2,200 years ago. Other genetic evidence suggests that the Judean date palms had high fructose and glucose levels and may have produced both yellow and red fruits. According to the authors, the results show how resurrection genomics can provide insight into crop evolution and illuminate agricultural practices.

Article #20-25337: “The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 y old seeds,” by Muriel Gros-Balthazard et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Michael D. Purugganan, New York University, NY; tel: 917-226-7195; email:

[email protected]

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