Banana plant propogation methods

Abstract

The ease of banana propagation by taking a sucker and simply planting it has allowed farmers to multiply their banana selections and share them. The banana sucker is a resilient form of planting material as the growing point is protected within the sucker, which contains a corm with a starchy store that allows the plant to readily re-establish. This chapter briefly describes the basic anatomy of the banana plant required to understand the part of the plant used for propagation. The chapter then describes the various practical aspects of banana propagation using either conventional planting material or tissue culture plants and the benefits and disadvantages of each method. The chapter looks ahead to future research trends in the area of banana tissue culture.