Abstract
Explants of two elite cooking banana cultivars, FHIA17 and INJAGI were collected from healthy source of stock plants growing in the field. Sterilization was evaluated using different concentrations (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60%) of a commercial bleach (JIK) for 25 min. Effects of cytokinins benzyl amino purine (BAP), 2-isopentenyl adenine (2iP) and kinetin each evaluated at 5, 10, 20, 24 and 40 µM and thidiazuron (TDZ) at 0.1, 0.5, 1 and 1.5 µM, on microshoot induction were investigated. Effects of auxins viz. napthaleneacetic acid (NAA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA each evaluated at 5, 10, 20 and 40 µM) on rooting were tested as well. The highest (91%) numbers of clean explants were obtained when the explants were subjected to sterilization in 40% Jik for 25 min. The FHIA 17 explants cultured on MS media supplemented with 40 µM kinetin produced the highest (3.00±0.35) mean number of microshoots. On the other hand, INJAGI explants cultured on MS media supplemented with 0.1 µM TDZ yielded the highest mean number (1.84±0.24) of microshoots and the highest mean length (0.99±0.13). Rooting was achieved in all media supplemented with the auxins evaluated except on 2,4-D. These results have an important significance on the application of tissue culture in propagation of cooking bananas in Rwanda, which is highly desired to support the government policy of replacing old unproductive bananas with elite high yielding varieties. Key words: FHIA17, INJAGI, banana, microshoot, cultivar.
Highlights
Banana (Musa spp.) belongs to the Musaceae family
Tissue cultured banana planting materials are not widely available to farmers in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda due to insufficient dissemination channels in this region. This is attributed to lack of understanding of the benefits of this technology and lack of agronomic data demonstrating the benefits of tissue cultured bananas (Bjorn et al, 2006)
Suckers of approximately one foot long of two cooking banana cultivars FHIA17 and INJAGI were collected from healthy, true-to type source plants grown in the banana field gene bank at Rubona Research Station, Rwanda
Summary
It is the main staple food and a key component of food security in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa (CIALCA, 2007) especially in parts of Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, where it makes the highest contribution to household income (Smale and Tushemereirwe, 2007). Bananas are propagated by suckers, which are collected from an existing field or from a multiplication plot planted only for the production of suckers This mode of propagation has its own limitations such as presence of diseased mother plants and supply is season dependent (Hanumantharaya et al, 2009). Tissue cultured banana planting materials are not widely available to farmers in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda due to insufficient dissemination channels in this region. This is attributed to lack of understanding of the benefits of this technology and lack of agronomic data demonstrating the benefits of tissue cultured bananas (Bjorn et al, 2006)
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