Tissue Culture

INTRODUCTION

Banana and plantain (Musa spp.) are the most important fruit crops of India; the largest banana producer on the globe.

The major problem however faced in the banana growing areas is the shortage of uniform and disease-free planting materials, which is due to the vegetative mode of propagation of the plant (through side-suckers) at a slow pace in conventional cultivation.

This difficulty can be addressed by employing the commercial tissue culture technology for mass-production of the popular banana varieties.

The said tissue culture technology can also be utilized for conservation & multiplication (as per the requirement) of other locally important, elite, endangered and ornamental banana varieties.

GENERAL STEPS INVOLVED

The banana tissue culture process involves:

Initiation of aseptic cultures from shoot-tips obtained from disease-free banana plants.

Multiplication of the shoots to the desired scale.Induction of roots to individual shoots.

Primary & secondary hardening of the tender plant-lets in the poly-house.

Field-transfer of the hardened tissue culture plants.