Ascorbic Acid Enhances In Vitro Growth of Raja Bulu Banana (Musa × paradisiaca L.) under Saline Stress

Raja Bulu banana (Musa × paradisiaca L.) is known for its exceptionally sweet flavor and can be efficiently propagated through tissue culture to produce large numbers of plants within a short time. Tissue culture involves isolating vegetative parts of the plant and cultivating them under aseptic conditions in a controlled environment. The most commonly used medium is a modified Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, consisting of inorganic salts and organic compounds, and supplemented with sucrose, plant growth regulators, hormones, and specific vitamins. Exogenous application of ascorbic acid has been reported to enhance growth and development in various plant species. This study employed a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with a single-factor, five-level ascorbic acid treatment: P0 (0 mg/L), P1 (2 mg/L), P2 (4 mg/L), P3 (6 mg/L), and P4 (8 mg/L). Each treatment was replicated three times. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, and significant differences among treatments were further evaluated using Tukey’s HSD test at a 5% significance level. Qualitative observations were recorded through photographs on day 21. The results demonstrated that the application of 2 mg/L ascorbic acid significantly improved plantlet growth under saline In Vitro conditions, particularly in terms of growth percentage, plantlet height, root length, and carbohydrate content.