Articles
EVALUATION AND TISSUE-CULTURE CONSERVATION, MULTIPLICATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF RARE AND CAROTENOID-RICH FE’I BANANA CULTIVARS IN MICRONESIA
Article number
897_39
Pages
297 – 298
Language
English
Abstract
Musa, a plant genus of extraordinary significance to human societies, produces an important food in the world today, the edible bananas and plantains.
Banana is also one of the most significant staple food crops grown in the Micronesian Region for local consumption as well as for export.
Two cultivars of rare Fei banana, Kulasr and Kulondol, have yellow and orange flesh, and are rich in provitamin A and other carotenoids.
Both are robust plants bearing erect bunches of brilliant orange-gold to purple fruits on maturity, which are delicious and nutritious.
Tissue-culture multiplication of banana provides excellent advantages over traditional multiplication, including a high multiplication rate, physiological uniformity and the availability of disease-free material throughout the year, ensuring safe and rapid distribution of new planting materials.
A study was undertaken to develop an efficient, rapid and reproducible regeneration protocol for Kulasr and Kulondol for mass multiplication and in-vitro conservation.
Banana plantlets were produced at mass scale through tissue culture, acclimatised in the greenhouse, distributed and established in the field.
Ultimately, this exercise helped greatly to save rare Fei bananas on Micronesian islands.
Banana is also one of the most significant staple food crops grown in the Micronesian Region for local consumption as well as for export.
Two cultivars of rare Fei banana, Kulasr and Kulondol, have yellow and orange flesh, and are rich in provitamin A and other carotenoids.
Both are robust plants bearing erect bunches of brilliant orange-gold to purple fruits on maturity, which are delicious and nutritious.
Tissue-culture multiplication of banana provides excellent advantages over traditional multiplication, including a high multiplication rate, physiological uniformity and the availability of disease-free material throughout the year, ensuring safe and rapid distribution of new planting materials.
A study was undertaken to develop an efficient, rapid and reproducible regeneration protocol for Kulasr and Kulondol for mass multiplication and in-vitro conservation.
Banana plantlets were produced at mass scale through tissue culture, acclimatised in the greenhouse, distributed and established in the field.
Ultimately, this exercise helped greatly to save rare Fei bananas on Micronesian islands.
Publication
Authors
V.M. Verma
Keywords
erect bunches, ‘Kulasr’, ‘Kulondol’, provitamin A, regeneration
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