In vitro Proliferation Ability of Axillary Buds in Musa spp

Tissue culture method has always considered the apical bud as the initial explant for micropropagation of plantain until recently where it was shown with the variety Big Ebanga that axillary buds could equally serve as initial explant. As axillary buds have shown mass propagation abilities in Big Ebanga, this explant is tested in other banana varieties to confirm performances already observed. Axillary buds and shoot tips excisedfrom : Pisang Mas (AA), Grande Naine (AAA), Batard and French Clair (AAB), CRBP 39 (AAAB) and Pelipita (ABB) varieties were used as explants. The proliferation rate of Axillary and apical buds and other growthparameters were measured. Results showed that no significant differences were observed between the two types of buds after four to five sub cultures in all the varieties except for CRBP 39 where the axillary bud exhibitsa higher proliferation rate. Concerning the frequency of leaf emission, the diameter and the height of the pseudostems, no significant differences were obtained between plants derived from the two types of buds during the weaning and hardening phases. In conclusion, axillary buds proliferated for all varieties tested regardless of the genomic group. Plantlets obtained from the two types of buds showed similar performanceduring the weaning and hardening phases. The axillary bud can thus be used as initial explant for micro propagation in Musa sp.Key words : Musa sp., micropropagation, axillary buds, shoot tips, genomic group.Le bourgeon terminal a été longtemps considéré comme explant initial de micropropagation chez le bananier. Récemment, il a été montré chez le cultivar Big Ebanga que le bourgeon axillaire pouvait aussi servir d’explant primaire. Ce résultat peut-il être transposé à d’autres variétés ? Les bourgeons apicaux et axillaires des variétés : Pisang Mas et Grande Naine (AAA), Batard et French Clair (AAB), CRBP 39 (AAAB) et Pélipita (ABB) ont été utilisés comme explants. Le taux de prolifération, et certains paramètres quantitatifs ont été mesurés. Les résultats obtenus montrent qu’il n’y a pas de différences significatives entre les deux types de bourgeon après 4 à 5 subcultures chez la plupart des cultivars sauf chez l’hybride CRBP 39 qui présente un taux de prolifération supérieur à celui obtenu chez le bourgeon terminal. Quant aux autres paramètres de croissance : émission de feuilles, diamètre et hauteur des pseudo-tiges, des différences significatives ne sont pas observées entre les plants issus des deux types d’explants (bt, ba) pendant les phases de sevrage et d’élevage. Il y a une prolifération du bourgeon axillaire chez toutes les variétés étudiées et appartenant à différents groupes génomiques du bananier. Les plantules issues des deux types de bourgeons croissent de manière identique pendant les phases de sevrage et d’élevage. Le bourgeon axillaire peut donc être utilisé comme explant primaire de micropropagation chez Musa sp.Mots clés : Musa sp, micropropagation, bourgeons axillaires, bourgeons terminaux, groupe génomique. Article in English

Plantain hybrids for the humid forest agroecology of Central Africa – diseases and pests load, fruit yield and farmers perception

Open Access Journal; Published online: 01 Nov 2022Plantain is one of the major staples contributing to food security and income generation in West and Central Africa. Local cultivars in Cameroon are susceptible to pests and diseases causing severe losses in plantain production. This study aimed at evaluating the agronomic performance and producer’s perception of plantain hybrids in the humid forest of Cameroon. Field trials were established in a completely randomized block design with eight genotypes and three replicates. Data on pest and disease as well as farmer perception were collected over two growing cycles. These genotypes included seven improved and one local genotype (check). Improved genotypes were highly tolerant to the Black Sigatoka disease compared to local plantain. While root necrosis index was above 50% in local varieties, indices below 25% were recorded in hybrids. Weevil severity in local was higher (55.0 ± 5.2%) compared to 21.0 ± 4.6% to 28.5 ± 3.2% in improved plantains. Average bunch weight was higher for FHIA 21 with 17.9 ± 0.7 kg in the first and 19.7 ± 0.3 kg for the second cycle, while those of the local Ebang were 9.6 ± 0.5 kg and 12.8 ± 0.9 kg, respectively. FHIA 21 and CRBP 568 were the preferred varieties by farmers (68.8% and 56.3% acceptance) from an agronomic perspective. The consumers’ preferences for all the genotypes varied with types of cooking. The implications of these findings for adoption by farmers and consumers as well as for the promotion of the plantain sector in central Africa are discussed