IN VITRO REGENERATION PROTOCOL OF BANANA CV. BHIMKOL (MUSA BALBISIANA, BB GENOME) THROUGH EMBRYOGENIC CELL SUSPENSIONS (ECS) FROM IMMATURE MALE FLOWERS

Abstract

Musa balbisiana is the diploid BB genome of Musa species belonging to Musaceae family. The cultivar Bhimkol (Musa balbisiana cv. Bhimkol) is found all over North-Eastern region of India. Although considered as a wild diploid species, this particular banana cultivar has been utilised as an important food in these parts of the country. In Assam, this fruit is utilised especially utilized as a nutrition supplement for infants. The banana pulp of Bhimkol is processed and marketed locally as a baby food nutrition supplement powder such as Bhimshakti and Bhimvita. This is one of the most important reasons which this banana cultivar a very important crop in this part of the country. There is a need for generation of a novel and an efficient in vitro regeneration protocol of M. balbisiana cv. Bhimkol using the male inflorescence of Bhimkol for carrying out any genetic improvement studies. Hence, this research, we report an efficient as well as reproducible in vitro regeneration protocol using the embryogenic cell suspension (ECS) cultures developed from the male inflorescence of M. balbisiana cv. Bhimkol.