Index based selection of treatments and genotypes for the in-vitro shoot regeneration in banana

Abstract

The in vitro shoot regeneration studies for four banana cultivars (Poovan, Karpuravalli, Rasthali and Monthan) were conducted via shoot tip culture using three plant bioregulators (PBRs) viz., 6- Benzylaminopurine (BAP), Kinetin (KIN) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) in different combinations and concentrations. Shoot regeneration revealed the significant effects of various PBRs combinations. This study utilized index-based selection to select the best treatments and cultivars for shoot regeneration in bananas. Based on Smith’s selection index score, the PBRs combination T6 (BAP@5.0mg/l+NAA@0.5mg/l) ranked first (0.24) and was selected as the best PBRs combination for shoot regeneration. Among the cultivars, ‘Rasthali’ (-0.76) ranked first as the best genotype for shoot regeneration in bananas. However, the combined effect of hormonal combination (T6) and cultivar ‘Poovan’ (2.61) ranked first. These results also showed that the response of ABB type (Karpuravalli and Monthan) was poorer than that of the AAB group (Poovan and Rasthali), indicating that the in vitro regeneration was much influenced by the genotype of plant species and the type of explants material as well as the type of PBR combinations. Overall, the cultivar-specific regeneration protocol proved essential for better in vitro regeneration of bananas.