Collection, in vitro multiplication and restoration of endangered native banana cv. Amrutapani (AAB)

Banana cv. Amrutapani (AAB) (IC250667) was a most popular, choicest and premium banana genotype in Andhra Pradesh owing to its peculiar flavour and taste. At present, this variety is vanished from regular cultivation as devastated by panama wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense. Now, this niche cultivar was rare, endangered and only few plants available in the back yards of 4-5 tribal families located in the hilly areas of Kondavada forest zone (17.63” N 81.73” E, 513 MSL), which forms part of the Eastern Ghats. To conserve the genotype, explored the area, tally with the minimal descriptors and collected the male flower buds from the 8 bearing plants out of 29 plants available in the back yards. Healthy suckers were not available due to ill health of plants. The male flower buds were pre treated with 0.1% Carbandazim and surface sterilized with 0.1% HgCl₂ under the laminar air hood. Outer bracts along with male flowers were peeled layer by layer and excised male flower hands of 10 - 20 mm size. The explants were cultured on previously standardized media for Poovan (Karpura Chakkera Keli) (AAB) genotype i.e. modified MS media for supplemented with 6.0 mg L^-1 BAP + 25 mg L^-1 Ads + 50 mg L^-1 Ascorbic acid + 30 g sucrose solidified with 7.5 g L^-1 agar. After 38 days of culture initiation, out of 60 male hands cultured, 48 hands produced cauliflower like bodies (80% CLBs) and recorded 100% shoot regeneration from these CLBs. From each male flower bud 15.8 shoots were obtained and these micro-shoots will be transferred for multiplication, rooting and hardening. Upon successful multiplication, these plants will be restored in the tribal villages of Eastern Ghats as there is no threat for fusarium wilt in that particular geographical area. As of now, panama wilt was not reported in these hilly areas might be due to acidic nature of soils and no commercial cultivation of banana in earlier days. In future, ample scope is there to restore this genotype for the regular commercial cultivation with the advent of recent biological management of banana fusarium wilt using antagonistic fungal isolate Trichoderma reesei technology developed by ICAR. Safeguarding the future of this precious native banana will also greatly improve the livelihood security of the tribal population.