Aseptic Culture Establishment Using Antibiotics with Reference to Their Efficiency and Phytotoxicity in Difficult-to-Establish Native Ney Poovan Banana (Musa, AB)

Abstract

Native banana varieties possess a large number of agronomically superior traits and hence, have a great potential in the domestic as well as international market. Though, India is considered as home of bananas, not many varieties have been grown on commercial scale. Micropropagation, which offers a reliable tool for multiplication of plants, could be of great use in producing quality planting material in such underexploited varieties, provided an efficient protocol is available. Present study is aimed at standardizing antibiotic supplement for obtaining aseptic cultures in difficult-to-establish native banana variety, Elakki Bale. Of the different antibiotics and combinations tried, chloramphenicol was found to give 100 % aseptic cultures followed by rifampicin + chloramphenicol, rifampicin and chloramphenicol + streptocycline combination. Rifampicin was found to cause least phytotoxicity. The plantlets grew normally in subsequent cycles and 96.3 % plantlets could survive upon transfer to ex vitro conditions.