Impact of photoperiodism on in vitro propagation of Indigenous Musa.

This research aimed at in vitro propagations of bananas originating from India. Banana (Musa spp.) is a nutritious fruit but shows susceptibility to specific diseases. A traditional method of its propagation is through the separation of suckers, although it may culminate in the transmission of nematodes, parasitic organisms, and viral diseases. In the past two decades, plant tissue culture techniques have facilitated the production of disease-free plantlets. Tissue culturing bananas can involve different explants, including shoot tips, suckers, leaves, and flower buds. Each responds differently to the presence and absence of light. In the current research, explant cultures were placed in light or dark incubation for identical durations, i.e., one to six months, to monitor their growth and development. The color intensity of the explants changed in response to different photoperiods. Young flower buds, mature flower buds, and suckers developed a higher color intensity when placed in light than in dark conditions. However, the opposite occurred in leaf explants that grew optimally in the dark. The results indicated that banana growth occurred productively from sucker explants in different light conditions and variable durations. The results were optimal when employing sucker explants, which exhibited the fastest growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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