Induced Genetic Diversity in Banana

Abstract

Banana and plantains are one of the important fruit crops grown extensively in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The world production of banana is 145 million tons of which only a few million tons is exported, which means that most production is primarily for local consumption. The banana cultivars are derived from two diploid wild species, Musa acuminata (AA genome) and Musa balbisiana (BB genome). Majority of the edible banana cultivars are propagated vegetatively, and hence, the improvement of banana through conventional breeding methods is difficult. Attempts have been made to improve banana by inducing genetic variability by using both physical and chemical mutagens and exploiting the somaclonal variation a few varieties have been released for cultivation. Transgenic approach has also been used to incorporate the desirable traits into banana. Recent advances in genomics and the availability of genome sequence of both Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana helps in the improvement of this fruit crop. Also the recent reports of genome editing through CRISPR-CAS9 will aid in speeding up the banana improvement programmes in the near future. This review summarizes the various advances made in inducing genetic diversity in banana.