CLONAL PROPAGATION OF BANANA (MUSA SPP.) CULTIVAR 'BARI-1' (AAA GENOME, SAPIENTUM SUBGROUP)

This study describes a method of clonal propagation for one of the elite cultivars of banana developed by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI). The principal characters of this cultivar ‘BARI-1’ (AAA genome, Sapientum subgroup) are its sweetness, good smell and high yield, which have made this particular cultivar popular in Bangladesh. In vitro cormlets were formed within 2–3 weeks when meristems were carefully isolated from field-grown plants and after proper sterilization implanted in semisolid Murashige and Skoog (MS) media fortified with 2.0 mg L^-2 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). Rate of shoot proliferation increased considerably with the synergistic effect of BAP and Kinetin. Regeneration of cormlets was geared up and shoot multiplication occurred when MS was enriched with 2.0 mg L^-1 BAP and 1.0 mg L^-1 Kinetin. With the increase of subculture (up to 9^th maximum), frequency of shoot proliferation was enhanced. Addition of 0.1 mg L^-1 Indole-3-acetic acid and 10% coconut water to the medium increased shoot elongation and stimulated growth of the shoots, respectively. The micro shoots rooted well within two weeks in 1/2 MS supplemented with 0.5 mg L^-1 Indole-3-butyric acid and in a few cases auto-root induction was observed when the number of subculture was beyond five. Rooting percentage and their growth were much better in liquid media in comparison to semi-solid media. Elimination of agar from the root induction media reduced the cost of production significantly. After proper acclimatization, rooted plantlets were transferred to polythene bags containing garden soil and humus (1:1). Two weeks after transplantation, 98% plants survived and flushed new leaves. No morphological variants were observed during the passage of micro-propagation