Concurrent Ex vitro Rooting and Hardening in Ney Poovan Banana (Musa AB): Effect of Carbon Sources and their Concentrations

Mass multiplication of non-Cavendish group of bananas has been limited due to non availability of reliable multiplication protocol and higher cost of production. The process of root induction and hardening are considered to be the most capital and labour intensive activities in micropropagation of any species. Carbon sources being one of the prime components governing the ex vitro survival of the plants need to be studied to maximize the success rate. Present is an attempt to study the effect of kind and concentration of carbon source on concurrent ex vitro rooting and hardening (CEVRH) in Ney Poovan banana. The results revealed that kind and concentration of carbon source present in the nutrient pool at the time of multiplication had a significant effect on the ex vitro performance of the plantlets. Better ex vitro rooting and hardening performance was exhibited by the shoots obtained from glucose (2 %) supplemented medium. Though rooting percentage was reduced in this treatment, considering the superior performance of the plantlets, it could be recommended to the commercial units for large-scale propagation of Ney Poovan banana plants. The concept of simultaneous rooting and hardening could be a boon for the varieties showing poor multiplication rate resulting in their higher cost of production.