Banana breeding: polyploidy, disease resistance and productivity.

Abstract

After 60 years of attempting unsuccessfully to breed a useful tetraploid from Gros Michel, new innovative approaches to banana breeding are needed if progress is to be made and sustained towards replacing present disease-susceptible and low-yielding banana varieties. Moreover, breeding of disease resistant AAB plantains is now required, since they have become susceptible to black Sigatoka. The use of in vitro techniques of manipulating the genetic potential of Musa warrants a great deal more support. In vitro methods, successful with other crops, could be one way of overcoming the inherent difficulties in triploid breeding. These techniques should supplement new approaches to the classical methods. Additionally, classical genetics and cytogenetics need to be revitalized for Musa, if sustained progress is to be made in improving bananas and plantains, an urgent need in tropical agriculture. [L'amelioration du bananier a produit des tetraploides a partir de sacs embryonnaires, non reduits, du triploide Gros Michel et de son mutant semi-nain Highgate pollinises par des diploides Musa acuminata sauvages ou ameliores. Apres 60 ans d'efforts aucun tetraploide commercialement utilisable n'a pu etre produit ; les tetraploides issus du Gros Michel ont un certain nombre de defauts propres dont la sensibilite a le maladie de Panama et aux cercosporioses. Suite aux progres importants realises dans l'amelioration des diploides on suggere de synthetiser de nouveaux triploides a partir de diploides ; dans cette optique l'utilisation des techniques in vitro permettant de manipuler le potentiel genetique du genre Musa, parait tres prometteuse.]