Asian Journal of Research in Botany

Aims: This study was conducted to determine whether excised buds (EB) or half corms (HC) from 3 Musa genotypes at four growth stages of mother plants would produce the most plantlets and to find out the effects of scarification on number of plantlets regenerated.

Study Design: Treatments comprised three Musa genotypes at four growth stages and two macro-propagation methods – excised bud and half-corm in a randomized complete block design with 4 replications.

Place and Duration of Study: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) High Rainfall Station, Onne (4°51’N, 7° 03’E, 10 m above sea level), Rivers State, Nigeria for eighteen months.

Methodology: Propagules, excised buds and half corms from a tetraploid cooking banana hybrid BITA 3; tetraploid plantain hybrid PITA 14, and a cooking banana landrace Cardaba, at 6-month vegetative, pre-flowering, post-flowering and bunch harvest stages were planted to regenerate plantlets. At bunch harvest growth stage, additional excised buds and half corms were scarified to find out the effect on regeneration of plantlets.

Results: Excised buds and half corms did not differ significantly (P = .05) in number of plantlets produced in PITA 14 irrespective of growth stage but bunch harvest stage was best. In BITA 3, excised buds produced significantly more plantlets than half corms at the 6-month vegetative and bunch harvest stages. However, at the pre-flowering stage, half corms produced significantly more plantlets than excised buds. In Cardaba, half corms were significantly better at all growth stages especially bunch harvest stage. In all Musa genotypes, scarification increased significantly the number of plantlets.

Conclusion: This study found that PITA 14 is best propagated by excised buds or half corms irrespective of growth stage. For BITA 3, excised buds either at 6-month vegetative or bunch harvest stage; or use of half corm at pre-flowering stage was best. Half corm at any stage is best for Cardaba.