Micro propagation is one of the most efficient methods for multiplying banana plants and also for maintaining a number of elite varieties in a small space. The program on the production and supply of tissue cultured banana plantlets continues. Germplasm of 14 varieties of banana are maintained in our laboratory. These are Baischada kachakela, Martaman, Giant Governor, Robusta, Red banana, Pachanandan, Rasthali, Monthan, Nendran, Kanai Bansi, Chatim, Kanthali, Amrit sagar, Dwarf cavendish.
Experiments were conducted to study the effect of application of vermiwash on the survival and growth of the banana plantlets at the primary hardening stage.
The laboratory also works on Dendrobium. Various hormone concentrations were tested with the MS and VW media for observing the growth of banana and Dendrobium plantlets respectively. The optimum hormone concentration and optimum ratio of auxin: cytokinin for the shoot initiation, formation of multiple shoots and production of maximum number of roots were restandardized and incorporated wherever required.
The efforts on the in vitro production of papaya plantlets was concluded as we could see the cost of the papaya plantlets produced in vitro would be too high because of the different steps required for its acclimatization to the culture conditions and its very slow multiplication rate. The study on the papaya micro propagation however is being continued for the academic and research interest.