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Analyzing somaclonal variation in micropropagated bananas (Musa spp.)

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Summary

In a micropropagation program, where it is of paramount importance to produce true-to-type planting material, somaclonal variation of any kind is undesirable. Variation among plants regenerated from tissue culture is termed ‘somaclonal variation’. In banana, somaclonal variants of different type have been reported with regard to plant morphology. This article discusses various factors due to which somaclonal variations may arise. Somaclonal variation may be detected by visual screening or by using molecular markers such as randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP), and by cytological studies. Although somaclonal variation is undesirable in the context of micropropagation, it can be used to advantage for genetic improvement of banana, as has been described.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. tissue Culture Laboratory-I, Division of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Hessaraghatta, 560 089, Bangalore, India

    Leela Sahijram, Jaya R. Soneji & K. T. Bollamma

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  1. Leela Sahijram
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  2. Jaya R. Soneji
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  3. K. T. Bollamma
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Correspondence to Leela Sahijram.

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Sahijram, L., Soneji, J.R. & Bollamma, K.T. Analyzing somaclonal variation in micropropagated bananas (Musa spp.). In Vitro Cell Dev Biol -Plant 39, 551–556 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1079/IVP2003467

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