Increasing in vitro germination of Musa balbisiana seed

Abstract

Seeds of Musa balbisiana were soaked in water for five days prior to excision of embryos. Embryos with their longitudinal axis laid flat and half-way embedded on agar-solidified medium produced the highest germination and the most desirable plantlet characteristics. Germination in vitro was 94% within 7 days compared to 50% after 54 days for greenhouse-sown seeds.

Seed germination and cryostorage of Musa acuminata subsp. burmannica from Western Ghats

“…Similar results were reported by Bakry (2008) in Musa hybrid embryos. BAP has been successfully used in establishing in vitro cultures of various cultivars of Musa (Afele and De Langhe, 1991;Muhammad et al, 2007;Jafari et al, 2011). However higher concentration of BAP inhibit shoot formation in Musa zygotic embryo as in the case of M. acuminata subsp.…”

Somatic Embryogenesis: Fundamental Aspects and Applications

“…These procedures are of use for the conservation of the genetic diversity of the wild bananas ancestors of current edible plants (Asif et al 2001), they also support breeding strategies by embryo rescue of seeds from open-pollinated seedy bananas and controlled new hybrids (Afele and de Langhe 1991;Bakry 2008;Uma et al 2012). Vegetative propagation through the conventional procedure of using banana lateral shoots that develop from the rhizome, so-called suckers, cannot always match the demand of elite genotypes for cultivation.…”

Factors Affecting Seedling Emergence and Dry Matter Characteristics in Musa balbisiana Colla

“…There are reports that storage duration [9,[18][19][20], soaking in water [6,21,22], and sterilization with sodium hypochlorite [20] affect seed germination characteristics in plants. The present work confirms that increase in NaOCl concentration and number of days in storage resulted in an increase in the number of days to seedling emergence in Musa balbisiana.…”

“…According to [23], the percentage germination in Musa balbisiana is highly variable depending on factors such as fruit maturity at seed harvest, the postharvest age of the seed, and the method of storage. The work in [21] reported that embryo germination was achieved in Musa balbisiana seeds after soaking in water for five days, prior to embryo excision. Similarly, Simmonds [6] and [23] also reported that the soaking of Musa seeds before sowing was either deleterious or ineffective to germination.…”