Evaluation of Macro Propagation Techniques for Multiplication of Banana (Musa spp.)

Abstract

Banana (Musa spp.) is propagated naturally by its sucker and corm. However, they are very slow and prone to the prevalence of insects and pests. It can be propagated commercially using tissue culture. However, this is skill demanding and unaffordable for small-scale farmers. To address this gap, macropropagation techniques have been introduced as an alternative propagation technology, called the Plant Issues of Shoot fragments technique, which means plants resulting from stem fragments. This method can be implemented with limited investment and skill on a small scale. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate in situ and ex situ PIF techniques on two banana varieties (Poyo and Giant Cavendish). The data on the number of suckers for each decortication, days to emergence after decortication, and sucker vigor were collected and analyzed using an independent sample t-test. Furthermore, a cost comparison was conducted for the two techniques. The result showed that the in situ PIF technique could produce 16 suckers in three months with the cost of 0.43 Ethiopian Birr per sucker while the ex situ PIF technique could produce 7 suckers costing 8 ETB on one production cycle in three months period. The emergence date of the first decortication phase was shorter for in situ (12 days) than ex situ (44 days). The in situ technique could be a good alternative for banana seedling production under small-scale farming conditions. It is important to popularize this technique for the better production of banana suckers at a relatively low cost.