Effect of Enriched Biochar on Hardening of Banana Tissue Culture Plantlets

Banana, an ancient fruit crop, is also known as ‘Apple of Paradise’. It is an herbaceous plant derived from two diploid species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana, under the family Musaceae in the order Zingiberales, originating from the Indo-Burma region. The present study aimed to examine the effect of enriched biochar on the hardening of banana tissue culture plantlets. The study was carried out at the Plant Tissue Culture Laboratory, Department of Basic Science, ASPEE College of Horticulture, Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India, during July to September 2024. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomised Design with ten different treatments that were repeated three times. Treatments imposed had a significant influence on most of the parameters studied in this trial. Regarding growth parameters, the maximum pseudostem height at 30 Days After Transplanting (DAT) (12.63 cm), 45 DAT (13.53 cm) and 60 DAT (15.42 cm), pseudostem girth at 30 DAT (9.05 mm), 45 DAT (11.71 mm) and 60 DAT (13.65 mm), number of leaves at 30 DAT (6.70), 45 DAT (7.53) and 60 DAT (8.50), root length (14.22 cm), leaf area (51.01 cm2) and survival percentage (96.00 %) were recorded in treatment T3 [Soil + Sand + Organic biochar (2:1:1)]. It can thus be summarised that hardening can be achieved in tissue cultured plantlets of banana cv. Grand Nain utilising Soil + Sand + Organic biochar (2:1:1 v/v) proportion as growing media. It recorded the maximum survival percentage, pseudostem height, girth, root length, leaf area and number of leaves after 60 days of experimentation.