Factors governing success in shoot tip culture of bananas with special reference to mixed genomic groups: an overview

Abstract

Micropropagation has proven to be a revolutionary technique for commercial scale quality planting material production in banana. Though a number of varieties with regional preferences are being cultivated in various parts of the world, commercial application of micropropagation is largely limited to the varieties of Cavendish group. This lack of attention to other genomic groups is largely due to the limited consumer preference and problems encountered during their micropropagation, which have negative impact on their commercial scale utilization. Besides the genetic constitution of banana varieties, several other factors viz. environmental conditions, explant type and size, surface sterilization technique, media components, culture environment, acclimatization conditions etc. are also responsible for variable in vitro performance of these varieties. The present review highlights various factors affecting the success of micropropagation through shoot tip culture in banana varieties with mixed genomic groups.