ABSTRACT
The availability and quality of plantain and banana (Musa spp.) planting material is one of the main constraints for the intensification of this crop. This is usually due to the low multiplication ratio of suckers and high infestation of diseases obtained from natural regeneration. Interestingly, The PIF (Plantlet issues de fragments) method is considered of great potential to contribute to improved quantity and quality of planting material. Although PIF plants are more expensive than traditional suckers, the costs and infrastructure needed are within reach of local farmers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the responses of improved cultivars of Musa spp. to in vivo macropropagation. The study was carried out from May 2022 to October 2022 at the Horticultural Nursery of the Department of Crop Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. A total of fourteen Musa cultivars were used for the study. Sword suckers of each Musa cultivar were washed, trimmed and scarified, and disinfected with a mix of Neem leaves extract and fungicide. After air-drying the corms under shade for 72 hours, they were planted in sawdust covered with transparent polythene. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design in three replications. Results indicated that there were significant differences among the Musa cultivars in days to first sprout, number of sprouted buds per corm, shoot collar girth, total number of plantlets, survived plantlets, and survival percentage. Cultivars such as PITA-14, Williams CV, FHIA-18, FHIA-20, Hex Agbagba, and CRBP-39 sprouted earlier than others. The number of plantlets obtained varied from a minimum of 1 in Hex Agbagba to a maximum of 10 in Williams CV. Conclusively, the study revealed variable genetic response of Musa cultivars to in vivo macro-propagation. Thus, the PIF technique could successfully produce clean banana/plantain planting materials despite the high pressure from abiotic and biotic Musa diseases in the Benin Rainforest Zone.
