Shoot cultures from meristem explants of three cultivars of banana, 'Cavendish', 'Bluggoe' and 'Silk' were established on Murashige and Skoog medium with 8.9 mu M benzyladenine and 0.98 mu M indolebutyric acid. Different types of media, such as agar-gelled, agitated liquid and static liquid, were assessed for their ability to support shoot multiplication and ex vitro survival. Liquid media were found better for shoot multiplication whereas agar-gelled medium supported maximum ex vitro survival. For maximum plantlet production, growing in static liquid medium followed by a brief culture on agar-gelled medium has been suggested.