FIELD-EVALUATION OF TISSUE-CULTURED BANANAS IN SOUTH-EASTERN QUEENSLAND

Field performance is described for tissue-cultured plants and conventional propagules of planting material of banana cultivar 'New Guinea Cavendish' (Musa sp., AAA group, Cavendish subgroup). Tissue-cultured plants were produced by either regeneration of plants from callus culture or by micropropagation of plants following the release of dormant buds at the leaf axils of explants. The conventional material consisted of suckers and 'bits' (lateral buds and associated corm material). Tissue-cultured plants established more quickly, were taller, and had a shorter time to bunch emergence and harvest of plant crop than conventional planting material. They had significantly (P < 0.05) higher yields in terms of bunch weight, which was a function of greater numbers of fingers and hands. These advantages did not extend to the ratoon crop. Sucker production on tissue-cultured plants was significantly (P < 0.01) higher up to 8 months after planting, equal to conventional material from 8 months to harvest, and then significantly lower. Twenty-two per cent of the plants derived from callus were off-types compared with 3% in the line produced by axillary bud proliferation. No off-types were observed in conventional planting material.