Bananas and Plantains (Musa spp.): transgenics and biotechnology

Bananas and plantains (Musa spp.) are the 4th world’s most important food crop after rice, wheat and maize in terms of gross value of production. They are major staple food and source of income for millions of people in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Most of the bananas grown worldwide are produced by small-scale farmers for home consumption or for sale in local and regional markets. Many pests and diseases have significantly affected Musa cultivation. Biotechnology and transgenic technology, together with conventional methods can assist in overcoming these problems in developing new banana cultivars. Some successes in genetic engineering of Musa have been achieved, enabling the transfer of foreign genes into the plant cells. The transgenic approach shows potential for the genetic improvement of bananas using a wide set of transgenes currently available which may confer resistance to pests and diseases. The use of appropriate constructs may allow the production of pest and disease resistant plants in a significantly shorter period of time than using conventional breeding, especially if several traits can be introduced at the same time. Tissue culture techniques like somatic embryogenesis, micropropagation and embryo culture are used for germplasm exchange, conservation and generation of hybrid materials. Biotechnology also provides great prospects for Musa improvement through genomics-based approaches for gene discovery, candidate gene validation, development of molecular markers and their utilization to assist classical breeding programs. This article discusses the application of transgenic technology and biotechnology for sustainable production of bananas and plantains.