Genomic insights into date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) diversity through molecular marker prospectives.

Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) is a vital fruit crop of North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, serving as both a staple food and a source of income. With more than 5,000 cultivars reported worldwide but only a few being commercially exploited, preserving and understanding genetic diversity is essential for sustainable production, crop improvement, and food security. This review provides a critical synthesis of recent progress in assessing date palm diversity using molecular markers and omics-based approaches. Molecular markers are effective tools, such as RAPD, ISSR, SSR, AFLP, and SCoT, have been effectively applied for cultivar identification, phylogenetic studies, and diversity assessment. For example, SSR markers enabling precise fingerprinting of different cultivars across North Africa and the Middle East, and ISSRs reveal high polymorphism in Tunisian genotypes. this article integrates molecular marker studies with advances from genomics and transcriptomics, highlighting novel insights into stress tolerance, fruit quality traits, and genetic structuring of male and female populations. The nobility of this study lies in comparing marker systems and emphasizing their relative strengths, limitations, and complementary applications in biodiversity studies. Additionally, bibliometric and patent landscape analyses were incorporated to map global research trends and innovation patterns, emphasizing the growing relevance of date palm genomics. In conclusion, molecular markers, when combined with modern genomics and transcriptomics, offer powerful tools for characterizing diversity, guiding conservation strategies, and accelerating marker-assisted breeding. This integrative approach supports the Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) by advancing genetic improvement and sustainable cultivation of date palm.