Persistence and horticultural value of inflorescence dichotomy in plantain
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This study aimed to assess the persistence and horticultural value of bunch dichotomy in plantain. Meristematic tissue was collected from a plant of the cultivar UNN showing a double-bunch phenotype and cultured in vitro. Ninety-five seedlings were acclimatized for 6 to 8 weeks in a greenhouse, prior to transfer to the field. Field evaluation was carried out at three experimental farms (Abuja, Ibadan, and Onne) of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, in Nigeria. Micropropagated plants of two plantain accessions, `Agbagba' and `Obino l'ewai', that produce single bunches were included as controls. Reversal of the double-bunch phenotype to a single-bunch phenotype was observed. Few plants underwent an additional dichotomization event to produce three bunches. This suggests that branching may be due to random genetic events instead of a stable mutation. Furthermore, field performance data were not significantly different for phenological or yield traits between clones producing one, two, or three bunches. Thus, selection for increased number of bunches may not be warranted in this Musa population.
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phenotype variation, multiple bunches, agronomic performance, genetic, musa species, bananas