INFLUENCE OF THE NUMBER OF SUBCULTURES ON SOMACLONAL VARIATION IN MICROPROPAGATED NANICÃO (MUSA SPP., AAA GROUP)

The influence of the number of subcultures on somaclonal variation in the brazilian banana “Nanicão” was studied.
Shoot tips collected in the Ribeira Valley – SP, Brazil were introduced and multiplied in vitro using the MS culture medium with the addition of 2.5 mg/l BAP. In formation 5.0 mg/l BAP was used to induced shoot formation. 3,874 plants were field established after 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 subcultures and compared with shoots obtained from corms in the Paranapanema Valley.
The following morphological characteristics were assessed: plant height, architecture and leaf color.
Only plants showing side shoots with the same type of variation are considered variants.
Results showed that somaclonal variation appeared after 5, 7, 9 and 11 subcultures at a rate of 1.3, 1.3, 2.9 and 3.8%, respectively.
In general, all somaclonal variants produced bad quality bunches.
The increase in the somaclonal variation with increased numbers of subcultures stresses the need to take care when plants are multiplied at a large scale in biofactories.

II International Symposium on Banana: I International Symposium on Banana in the Subtropics

P.H.V. Rodrigues, A. Tulmann Neto, P. Cassieri Neto, B.M.J. Mendes

Somaclonal variation, banana, in vitro

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1998.490.49