Effect of thidiazuron on in vitro regeneration of banana cv. rasthali (AAB)

Abstract

Shoot tip explants of Musa spp. cv. Rasthali were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with varying concentrations of Thidiazuron (TDZ) to evaluate its effect on shoot proliferation. The maximum mean number of shoots per explant (3.3) was observed on MS medium containing 0.5 mg/l TDZ. Increasing the TDZ concentration beyond this level did not enhance shoot multiplication and instead resulted in the development of stunted and morphologically abnormal shoots. Elongated shoots were excised and successfully rooted on MS medium supplemented with 2.5 mg/l Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Rooted plantlets were acclimatized in plastic containers containing a substrate mixture of garden soil, farmyard manure, and sand in a 2:1:1 ratio. Following acclimatization, the plantlets were transferred to field conditions, where they exhibited a high survival rate (90%) and maintained morphological uniformity with the donor plants