Effectiveness of different levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) on the growth of Cavendish banana (<i>Musa acuminata</i>) in plant tissue culture

The study evaluated the effects of different concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) on the growth and development of banana (Musa acuminata.) plantlets in tissue culture over 30 days. Significant differences (p &lt; 0.05) were observed in plant height, number of leaves, leaf length, root number, root length, and survival rate across the six treatments (T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6). The tallest plants were recorded in T5 (149.1 ± 0.87 mm), followed by T1 (145.0 ± 0.82 mm). T5 also exhibited the highest number of leaves (16.3 ± 1.53), while T6 produced the longest leaves (17.1 ± 0.15 mm). The highest root formation was observed in T6 (12.33 ± 0.58 roots), and the longest root length was also recorded in T6 (17.23 ± 0.25 mm), indicating that an increased IAA concentration enhanced root development. However, the number of stems did not significantly differ among treatments (p &gt; 0.05). The highest survival rate was observed in T4 (99.30 ± 0.61%), whereas T6 exhibited the lowest survival rate (41.18 ± 1.12%). The results suggest that T5 and T4 were the most effective treatments for promoting plant growth and survival in banana tissue culture, whereas excessive IAA concentration negatively affected plantlet viability. These findings provide insights into optimizing hormone combinations for in vitro propagation of banana plantlets.