High frequency regeneration from the leaf callus of musa paradisiaca cv. ‘puttabale’ (ab genome) in malnad region of the western ghats

Indirect organogenesis protocol was developed for high frequency shoot induction from leaf sheath disc callus of Musa paradisiaca cv. Puttabale (AB genome) an indigenous banana variety cultivated in Malnad region of the Western Ghats, Karnataka, India, which is known for its delicious taste and flavor but highly prone to disease and pests. The best callogenic frequency (97.5%) was observed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal nutrients augmented with 160 mg/l Adenine sulfate, 100 mg/l Tyrosine and growth regulators at the concentration of 4 mg/l 2, 4 Dichlorophenyloxy acetic acid (2, 4-D) and 1 mg/l 6-Furfurylaminopurine (Kn). High frequency of shoot bud organogenesis (22.80 ± 2.57) was observed at the concentration of 0.3 mg/l Thidiazuron (TDZ) and 4 mg/l 6-Benzylaminopurine (BAP). The multiple shoots developed into rooted plantlets on MS media fortified with 0.5 mg/l Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) and 0.2% activated charcoal. The leaf calli regenerants were successfully acclimatized in the greenhouse and transformed to the farmland. Morphoagronomic evaluation of the regenerants in the farmyard showed elite characteristics in plant height, pseudostem perimeter, number of hands, number of total fingers and total weight of bunches than the in vivo plants.