MICROPROPAGATION OF BLACK SIGATOKA RESISTANT HYBRIDS IN BIO-FACTORIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

The most destructive world-wide disease of banana and plantain is black Sigatoka caused by Mycosphaerella fijiensis. Banana and plantain hybrids resistant to black Sigatoka have been developed in the international banana and plantain breeding program at FHIA, La Lima Honduras (United Fruit Company). The commercial progation of these resistant hybrids has been possible only through tissue culture techniques.
Currently, there are more than 15 commercial tissue culture laboratories (Bio-Factories), which are propagating and selling these resistant bybrids.
Some of these laboratories are able to produce more than 10 million plantlets per year.
Ther produced plantlets are mainly sold to banana organic growers of Central America.

Currently, the hybrids resistant to Black Sigatoka have been distributed in 62 countries and there are more than 10,000 hectares planted with tissue culture plantlets of these hybrids in Central America and the Carribbean.
Tissue-culture production of bananas and plantain in Latin America is probably the most important example of application of biotechnology in the regions agriculture.

II ISHS Conference on Fruit Production in the Tropics and Subtropics

L. Pocasange, P. Rowe, A. Ronen

plantain breeding program, tissue culture

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2000.531.30