Bananas are popular, nutritious food, and rich in carbohydrates, vitamin C, potassium, and iron. Which are affected by several devastating diseases and cause a 30–50% loss in production. Micropropagation of shoot tips in vitro has become a significant application of biotechnology in agriculture and offers rapid multiplication, disease-free, and year-round availability of banana plants. The present investigation aimed to develop a simple and efficient protocol, which focused on the effect of plant growth regulators, sterilization treatments, and potting mixtures on the micropropagation of red banana. The meristem tip was used as an explant. Treatment T9 demonstrated the highest (67%) aseptic culture percentage focusing on bacterial control. The shoot induction with MS + 5 mg/L BAP showed 89.533% of explants showed growth in 39 days. The highest rooting (94%) was obtained with MS + 2 mg IBA + Activated charcoal and the average number of roots per explant (13.7).The highest survival (84.33%) was found in a potting mixture with red soil, Cocopeat, and Vermicompost (1:1:1).The above findings showed that an efficient and feasible technique has been established for the effective regeneration of new red banana plantlets. The importance of using specific pre-treatment methods, media combinations, and potting mixtures improved the success of plant regeneration and growth in terms of aseptic culture, shoot induction and multiplication, shoot length, rooting, and survival rate.

Red banana, Musa acuminata, Micropropagation, Plant growth regulators, sterilization treatments

The pre-treatment of 10ml/L Tween 20 for 10 min, 10ml savlon/L for 10 min, 0.50% Carbendazim for 30 min, 70% Ethanol for 1 min, 5% NaOCl for 10 min, and 0.1% HgCl2 for 6 min proved to be instrumental in optimizing the growth conditions for plant regeneration. The media combination of MS with 5 mg/L BAP demonstrated a remarkable multiplication rate of 89.53%, underscoring its efficacy in fostering robust plant development. Furthermore, the inclusion of MS with 2 mg IBA and activated charcoal emerged as a potent combination, yielding an impressive 94% root regeneration. The subsequent hardening of plantlets in a potting mixture comprising red soil, cocopeat, and vermicompost further contributed to their optimal growth. These findings collectively underscore the significance of the proposed pre-treatment and media combinations in enhancing the efficiency of plant regeneration and growth, paving the way for advancements in plant tissue culture methodologies.

Manasi S. Kadam, B.D. Ghodake, A.V. Chinche, Srushti J. Chopade, Pallavi P. Gond and Vaishnavi M. Tattapure (2023). Effect of Growth Regulators, Sterilization Treatments, and Potting Mixtures on in vitro Micropropagation of Red Banana (Musa acuminata). Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(12): 181-188.