Improved Propagation Techniques to Enhance the Productivity of Banana (Musa spp.)
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Date
2018
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Open Agriculture
Abstract
The objective of this article is to provide
information on pertinent propagation techniques for
increased banana productivity. Banana, a very important
crop in many tropical and subtropical countries of the
world, is propagated with extreme difficulties. Its ordinary
propagation technique of using suckers directly detached
from a mother plant is limited by low multiplication rates
and propensity of disseminating pests and diseases, which
culminates in reduced banana productivity. Improved
propagation techniques such as mother plant stripping,
decapitation and mini-corms that increase the number of
suckers are also somewhat deficient for large scale seed
production and quality. Consequently, tissue and cell
culture methods have been developed to address some of
the challenges of seed quantity and quality although they
are yet to be widely adopted. In this detailed review that
includes results from hard-to-find literature, we discuss the
traditional and modern methods of banana propagation,
their benefits and limitations. Specifically, tissue culture
stands out as the most prolific method of delivering high
quantity and quality seed in banana. Its applicability,
however, is limited by high costs of production and a need
for skilled personnel and specialized equipment. It is
imperative that to build a sustainable and viable banana
seed production system, a multiplication scheme that
combines two or more multiplication methods including
tissue culture for cleaning the seed stock is utilized. The
information provided gives premise for interventions to
alleviate the problems of low banana seed availability,
quantity and quality.
Description
Keywords
Banana production, Suckers, Tissue and cell culture, Vegetative propagation
Citation
Tumuhimbise, R., & Talengera, D. (2018). Improved propagation techniques to enhance the productivity of banana (Musa spp.). Open Agriculture, 3(1), 138-145. https://doi.org/10.1515/opag-2018-0014