Micropropagules can Profitably Save the Choicest Silk Banana from Extinction

Panama wilt, a deadly disease of banana in general and Silk group in particular, is creating havoc worldwide. Infected planting material being a major mode of disease spread, production of disease free quality planting material is a must for area expansion. Micropropagation offers a viable solution for overcoming this problem. Though protocols for micropropagation have been standardized for various varieties of banana, their in field trials along with the conventional propagules have seldom been made. This study deals with agronomic, phenological and post harvest attributes of in vitro propagated plantlets of Silk banana var. Nanjanagud Rasabale in comparison to their traditional counterparts. Tissue cultured plantlets were superior to sucker derived plants in terms of vegetative growth, yield and quality parameters. Further micropropagules were precocious by eight weeks and exhibited synchronized flowering.