Articles
MICROPROPAGATION OF ‘PISANG AWAK’ (MUSA, ABB GENOME) AS A MODEL FOR IMPROVING LIVELIHOODS OF RURAL COMMUNITIES IN MALAYSIA
Article number
897_70
Pages
491 – 492
Language
English
Abstract
The unripe fruits of Pisang Awak (Musa, ABB genome) can be processed into high-fibre flour.
This has encouraged many Malaysian farmers to plant this cultivar commercially.
However, large-scale development is limited due to insufficient supply of good-quality planting materials.
An established micropropagation protocol was used for mass propagation of Pisang Awak. Solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 5 mg/L BA was used for shoot multiplication.
Rooting was initiated on MS medium without growth regulators.
The rooted plantlets were acclimatised by transplanting them into organic soil:top-soil:sand mixture (1:1:1) for 2 weeks.
This technology was transferred to village communities, involving the setting up of a tissue-culture laboratory together with flour- and paper-producing facilities.
As such, the farmers have access to tissue-cultured plantlets for large-scale planting of Pisang Awak. The unripe fruits can be used to produce high-fibre flours while the banana tree trunks can be converted into papers.
This model is being tested in a rural village, Kampong Perlis at Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia.
This has encouraged many Malaysian farmers to plant this cultivar commercially.
However, large-scale development is limited due to insufficient supply of good-quality planting materials.
An established micropropagation protocol was used for mass propagation of Pisang Awak. Solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 5 mg/L BA was used for shoot multiplication.
Rooting was initiated on MS medium without growth regulators.
The rooted plantlets were acclimatised by transplanting them into organic soil:top-soil:sand mixture (1:1:1) for 2 weeks.
This technology was transferred to village communities, involving the setting up of a tissue-culture laboratory together with flour- and paper-producing facilities.
As such, the farmers have access to tissue-cultured plantlets for large-scale planting of Pisang Awak. The unripe fruits can be used to produce high-fibre flours while the banana tree trunks can be converted into papers.
This model is being tested in a rural village, Kampong Perlis at Balik Pulau, Penang, Malaysia.
Publication
Authors
L.K. Chan, V.H. Au, A.A.A. Noor, M. Adnan, P.L. Boey
Keywords
banana cultivar, banana flour, micropropagation protocol, paper
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