Search

MS is the most commonly used basal medium for the micropropagation of banana (Musa spp.), in which inorganic N source consists of NH4+-N and NO3--N, and NH4+:NO3- = 1:2. In the present study, basal medium for rooting culture was modified by supplying NO3--N as the sole N source at the concentration of 17.80 to 19.78 mmol·L-1. Not only was the percentage of qualified plantlets higher than that of MS or ½ MS, but the cost for medium preparation (per liter) was about $0.6 lower than that of MS based on local retail price, for the concentration of N decreased from about 60 mmol·L-1 to nearly 20 mmol·L-1. The effects of four factors: sucrose (25 to 35 g·L-1), NAA (0.2 to 1.0 mg·L-1), IBA (0.2 to 1.0 mg·L-1), and basal medium with modified N source on the percentage of qualified plantlets were studied by using orthogonal design. The variance analysis of data showed that all the four factors significantly affected the process of rooting culture. Among them, sucrose was the most important factor, followed by revised basal medium, IBA, and NAA. The optimal medium for rooting culture was BM II supplemented with 30 g·L-1 sucrose, 0.5 mg·L-1 NAA, and 0.5 mg·L-1 IBA. During the following acclimation phase, >90% of plantlets survived. Chemical name used: 6-benzylaminopurine (BA); indole-3-butyric acid (IBA); α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA).