Influence of Antioxidants and Cytokinins on In vitro Plantlet Regeneration of Banana cv. Ney Poovan (AB)

Aims: Banana is one of the important fruit crop and food source for millions of people in many countries. In South India, many varieties of banana are cultivated. In vitro micropropagation of banana is nowadays pinned towards the development of disease-free clones. An investigation was carried out in banana cv. Ney Poovan to study the Influence of Antioxidants and cytokinins on in vitro plantlet regeneration. Study Design: The investigation was carried out in a completely randomized design with 25 treatments replicated thrice. Place and Duration of Study: Tissue culture laboratory, Bio Centre, Department of Horticulture, Shivamogga 2023-2024. Methodology: To control phenolic browning and regenerate multiple plantlets production from the shoot tip, the explants were well sterilized and transferred to culture media containing MS media in combination with antioxidants (Ascorbic acid and Polyvinylpyrrolidone) and cytokinins (6-Benzylaminopurine and Kinetin). Results: Ascorbic acid 200 mg/l showed less browning across all combinations of BAP and kinetin. On an average the minimum number of days taken for shoot initiation (8.13 days), maximum number of shoots per explant (5.02), maximum shoot length (5.20 cm), and maximum success rate (73.33 %) were recorded in explants treated with (T12) Ascorbic acid 200 mg/l + BAP 2.5 mg/l + Kinetin 2.0 mg/l. Conclusion: Through this study, it is clear that shoot tip explant treated with MS basal medium + Activated charcoal 200 mg/l + Ascorbic acid 200 mg/l + BAP 2.5 mg/l + Kinetin 2.0 mg/l is best for controlling browning and in vitro shoot regeneration for banana cv. Ney Poovan.