Bananas of Cook Islands: A catalog of banana diversity seen on the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki

This is a catalog of banana diversity seen on the islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki (Cook Islands) during the banana expedition organized from May, 20th to May, 21st 2019 by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Cook Islands with support of the Pacific Community (SPC). The expedition was funded by the Crop Trust with contribution of CRP RTB

Collection of new diversity of wild and cultivated bananas (Musa spp.) in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

Bananas (Musa spp.), including dessert and cooking types, are of major importance in the tropics. Due to extremely high levels of sterility, the diversity of cultivated bananas is fixed over long periods of time to the existing genotypes. This pattern puts banana-based agrosystems at risk. Therefore, assessing the extent of wild and cultivated banana diversity, conserving it and making it available for further use is a priority. We report here the collection of new wild and cultivated banana germplasm in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. In total, 61 accessions were collected and their names and uses were recorded when possible. Classification was also provided based on the observations made in the field. Three wild specimens were collected. Among the 58 cultivated accessions, we noted that eight were used as ornamental plants, seven were edible varieties of the Fe’i type and two were natural tetraploids from the Musa section. The ploidy was then checked by flow cytometry and the accessions were genotyped with a set of 19 SSR markers. The genotyping results were merged to the dataset from Christelová et al. (Biodivers Conserv 26:801–824, 2017). This joint analysis helped refine or confirm the classification of the collected accessions. It also allowed to identify 10 private alleles and 35 genotypes or Genotype Groups that were not present in the wider dataset. Finally, it shed light on the diversification processes at work in the region, such as the capture of mutations by farmers and the likely occurrence of geneflow within the cultivated genepool. © 2018, The Author(s)

Bananas adrift in time – a case study in the Solomons

Diseases, pests and environmental constraints pose a major threat to the sustainability of banana production globally. To address these challenges, the discovery and study of new sources of genetic resistance and adaptability are required, along with the general conservation of diversity. The Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific region near Papua New Guinea, are a major center of banana diversity. Some collections had been made by nationals of some of the diversity present but little was known internationally of the rich genetic resource present. Two separate visits to the Solomon Islands characterized banana collections, documented and collected germplasm, recommended conservation strategies and provided training in cultivar characterization. A remarkable range of genetic diversity was found, including: many AA and AAA cooking types somewhat like those present in Papua New Guinea; nine Fei cultivars in relatively common usage, and two undescribed wild species as well as five AAB Pacific Plantains and four ABB cooking bananas belonging to the Kalapua subgroup. About six of the unique cultivars were successfully collected and established in the regional in vitro germplasm collection of SPC in Suva, Fiji. Nine Solomon Islanders were trained in the finer points of characterizing banana cultivars. Further collecting and study/evaluation of this rich diversity will promote its appreciation and potential utilization for meeting the challenges and opportunities ahead. Future studies could also determine the spread of the Awawe species and variability of morphological traits in the population. Community-based conservation could promote awareness of dietary diversity for better nutrition, via using the Fei bananas described in this paper. Establishing a virus-free regional field collection could help in comprehensively characterizing and evaluating regional Musa genetic resources. Existing sites could embrace the broader unique diversity of the Solomon Islands, and facilitate sharing this diversity in conjunction with a regional virus-tested in vitro collection

Bananas of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville: a catalog of banana diversity seen on the islands of Bougainville and Buka, Papua New Guinea

A catalogue of Musa specimens that were collected for addition to the national banana germplasm collection held by NARI

Banana collecting mission in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB), Papua New Guinea.

Papua New Guinea (PNG), including neighbouring islands, is a recognized centre of diversity and potentially a domestication centre for banana (Christoleva et al. 2016; Lebot 1999; Sardos et al. 2016; Volkaert, 2011). IBPGR and QDPI (current DAF) in co-operation with the PNG Department of Agriculture and Livestock (current NARI) and supported by INIBAP (current Bioversity International), organized 4 collecting missions to mainland PNG and the Bismarck Archipelago in 1988-1989. In total, these missions allowed the collection of 264 wild and cultivated accessions out of which 86% appeared to be original genotypes (Arnaud and Horry 1997). The collected accessions were sent to both the National Banana Germplasm Collection at Laloki, Port Moresby and to the International Transit Centre (ITC) in Belgium for conservation purpose. They were also characterized and evaluated at the QDPI South Johnstone Research Station in Australia. Since 1994 and the signature of an agreement between Bioversity and FAO, all the germplasm conserved in the ITC, including the PNG material, is available to all on the understanding that it remains on the public domain. Therefore, more than 25 years after the PNG missions, 230 of the accessions collected in PNG are still conserved in-vitro in the ITC. Over the years, the PNG accessions constituted and still constitute significant and valuable resources for breeders and researchers and contributed to significantly improve our knowledge and perception of banana diversity and diversification. The Pacific region is known to host important levels of genetic diversity of a wide range of crops including bananas. Numerous crop collections have been performed in the past in an attempt to bring together these different resources into national or regional ex-situ collections. However, environmental hazards are numerous in the region (earthquakes, tsunamis, drought, hurricanes…) and local agricultural systems often appear more resilient in face of hazards than conventional ex-situ collections

Data associated with the banana germplasm collected during the collecting expedition to the Autonomous Region Of Bougainville (October 2016)

During the collecting mission to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, 61 banana accessions were collected. The data presents the passport data of each accession and the results of the flow cytometry analysis performed and the results of the SSR genotyping performed following the methodology of Christelova et al. 2011

Filling the gaps in gene banks: Collecting, characterizing, and phenotyping wild banana relatives of Papua New Guinea.

International audienceSince natural habitats are disappearing fast, there is an urgent need to collect, characterize, and phenotype banana (Musa spp.) crop wild relatives to identify unique genotypes with specific traits that fill the gaps in our gene banks. We report on a collection mission in Papua New Guinea carried out in 2019. Seed containing bunches were collected from Musa peekelii ssp. angustigemma (N.W.Simmonds) Argent (3), M. schizocarpa N. W. Simmonds (4), M. balbisiana Colla (3), M. acuminata ssp. banksii (F. Muell.) Simmonds (14), M. boman Argent (3), M. ingens Simmonds (2), M. maclayi ssp. maclayi F.Muell. ex Mikl.-Maclay (1), and M. lolodensis Cheesman (1). This material, together with the seeds collected during a previous mission in 2017, form the basis for the development of a wild banana seed bank. For characterization and phenotyping, we focused on the most ubiquitous indigenous species of Papua New Guinea: M. acuminata ssp. banksii, the ancestor of most edible bananas. We calculated that the median genomic dissimilarity of the M. acuminata ssp. banksii accessions was 4% and that they differed at least 5% from accessions present in the International Transit Centre, the world's largest banana gene bank. High-throughput phenotyping revealed drought avoidance strategies with significant differences in root/shoot ratio, soil water content sensitivity, and response towards vapor pressure deficit (VPD). We deliver a proof of principle that the wild diversity is not yet fully covered in the gene banks and that wild M. acuminata ssp. banksii populations contain individuals with unique traits, useful for drought tolerance breeding programs