Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
After a cross with 'Gros Michel' as female parent, the hybrid seeds are extracted
by ripening large numbers of these fruits derived from the cross, peeling them
and passing the pulp through a strainer that retains the few seeds present.
Considerable breeding ef orts and selection of crossed material may
lead to the development and release of cultivars with suitable horticultural
characteristics and increased disease resistance (Gowen, 1995). Apart from
the ef orts supported by the International Network for the Improvement
of Bananas and Plantains (INIBAP) (Vuylsteke
et al.
,
1993), there have
been a few ef orts to develop better varieties for small and medium-sized
growers serving local markets with local varieties in Brazil, Africa and India.
In Honduras, FHIA has produced a complex pedigree hybrid (FHIA 03), a
'Bluggoe' type of cooking banana, resistant to black Sigatoka, 'Moko' and
Panama disease, which is planted in East and West Africa, and in Cuba by
small farmers. They have also released 'FHIA-25', another AAB cooking
banana, as well as 'FHIA 21', a plantain, both are resistant to black Sigatoka.
Selection and evaluation
Considerable ef orts have been expended in characterizing various cultivars
under comparable conditions (Rowe and Rosales, 1996). Somaclonal variation
and mutation breeding is widely used. The focus of these programmes is
resistance to black Sigatoka,
Fusarium
wilt (Panama disease), bunchy-top virus
and nematodes. Gene transfer from unrelated species also of ers considerable
opportunities for improved planting materials. Besides selection for resistance
to the above diseases, other priorities include resistance to the weevil that
bores into the corm, dwarfi sm, tolerance to drought and cold, and improved
bunch yield, harvest index, fruit quality (texture and fl avour) and storability
(Novak, 1992). Similar priorities exist for plantains, with susceptibility to black
Sigatoka and low bunch yield being the major limitations, followed by some of
the same priorities as for dessert bananas. New plantain types have been easier
to produce than dessert bananas and some are being grown extensively in
many tropical areas.
Major cultivars
There are at least 200-300 banana clones in various countries, many
having dif erent names in dif erent localities (Table 8.3). There are numerous
germplasm collections around the world, including those in Indonesia,
Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, India, Honduras, Jamaica, Brazil,
Cameroon and Nigeria. The large number of synonyms for many of the better
cultivars makes for some confusion (Lebot
et al.
,
1993).
