Effect of explant type, antioxidants and cytokinins on in vitro multiplication of plantain (Musa x paradisiaca L.)

Plantain (Musa × paradisiaca L.) growers are faced with a serious problem of quality seed for the creation of new plantations or the renewal of old banana plantations. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine some conditions for improving in vitro budding of local plantain cultivars (Orishele, Agninin and Afoto). Three types of explants were tested to initiate cultures on synthetic medium enriched with various antioxidants and cytokinins. Cultures were incubated at 28°C in a factorial block design with 8 replicates. The results identified vivo-plants as the explant with the greatest advantage for rapid micropropagation, compared with rejects (bayonets and scales). Vivoplants budded in 6 days and the height of regenerated plants 21 days later was 11.16 cm, compared with 17 and 25 days respectively for bayonet and scale shoots. Bud induction was studied over 30 days of culture. Ascorbic acid (80 mg/L) was found to promote bud production on all explants. Application of cytokinin type and concentration revealed that 0.11 mg/L thidiazuron induced more buds (16 buds with vivoplants). However, with benzylaminopurine and kinetin, the number of buds varied from 7 to 11 for the 10 mg/L concentration. The buds obtained were then rooted and the regenerated vitroplants were acclimatized with a survival rate of 100%. The use of vivo plants for the production of vitroplants enabled considerable time savings in the reaction of explants used for the initiation of In vitro cultures of plantain.