Mutation Induction Using Gamma Irradiation and Embryogenic Cell Suspensions in Plantain (Musa spp.)

Abstract

Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are among the world’s most important crops and are considered as a poor man’s crop in tropical and subtropical countries. For this reason, they play a very important role in tropical regions’ food security. Several pathogens throughout the tropical areas of the world have become a threat for production, including “black sigatoka” (Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet) which is the most damaging disease for Musa plantations in Cuba. It is present in all areas of the country, and it replaced “sigatoka disease” (Mycosphaerella musicola) as the main threat. Chemical control and cultural practices reduce damages, but they are not solving the problem. Genetic variations are the basic tools to develop new cultivars with better traits, such as tolerance against various environmental stresses, resistance against pests and diseases, and improved yield and quality. Tissue culture techniques offer the opportunity for variation induction, handling of large plant populations using established selection methods, and rapidly cloning selected variants. All these strategies can increase the efficiency of mutagenic treatments and subsequent screening of mutant materials. Somatic embryogenesis (SE) is also an excellent system for clonal propagation and mutation induction. The present chapter describes a protocol on how to use embryogenic cell suspensions (ECS) in plantain (Musa spp.) using both in vitro gamma irradiation and plant regeneration in order to achieve genetic improvement. The process involves a series of steps to properly select ECS for irradiation and the posttreatment handling for plant regeneration as well as mutant selection during acclimatization phase and under field conditions.