Macropropagation of banana/plantain using selected local materials: a cost-effective way of mass propagation of planting materials for resource-poor households

Abstract

SummaryThis study assessed simple macro-propagation methods, which build on methods reported for enset multiplication, for producing banana seedlings in four different Musa cultivar use groups across four unique agro-ecologies (900-1,815 m a.s.l.). The methods consisted of a substrate of loosened soil or a soil-and decomposed farmyard manure mixture under either a semi-cylindrical tunnel made of wooden/stick frames covered with knitted elephant grass stems or a 5 cm thick mulch cover of spear grass/elephant grass. A standard macro-propagation unit, made of wooden planks and thick plastic polythene sheet covering, with sawdust as substrate, served as a control. The average number of harvested plantlets per corm, irrespective of cultivar and site, varied between 7.5 under semi-cylindrical tunnel without manure and 12.6 under the standard macro-propagation unit. In general, and across sites and cultivars, there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between macro-propagation methods in the mean number of harvested plantlets. Irrespective of method and cultivar, fewer plantlets were harvested at the high altitude sites. Significantly more plantain plantlets (12.1-14.5) were produced at low altitudes (900 and 1,066 m) while dessert (12.8) and cooking (12.7) types performed better at 1,700 m. Significantly fewer plantlets per corm were produced by the ABB types (7.9), while the highest numbers were realized for the plantains (12.2). The net profit from sale of plantlets from the simple macro-propagation units was comparable and sometimes higher than that from the standard unit. The high initial cost and skills needed for establishing the standard macro-propagation unit have often hindered its adoption. The low cost, use of local materials and comparable returns from the simple macro-propagation units suggest that they could be a good alternative for banana seedling production under small-scale farmer conditions.

Seed degeneration of banana planting materials: strategies for improved farmer access to healthy seed

“…A corm can average 10-12 sprouts, but up to 60 plantlets can be harvested when the buds of the first round of shoots are removed/scarified, depending on variety (Staver & Lescot, 2015). Recently, simpler macropropagation units have been proposed, using soil as substrate and mulch or other local covers, which could be an alternative in more remote regions where thick plastic sheets and sawdust are not available or costly (Ntamwira et al, 2017). Micropropagation or tissue culture is the propagation of banana plantlets from shoot tips under sterile laboratory conditions (Vuylsteke, 1989;Israeli et al, 1995;Singh et al, 2011).…”

“…By contrast, the costs for building a standard macropropagation chamber and using it for a year in Africa varies from $100 to over $5000 (Danso et al, 1999;Njukwe et al, 2007;Ouma et al, 2011). The low cost macropropagation units based on soil as substrate and mulch or simpler frames as cover cost between $18 and $135, and thus are suitable for smallholder farmers in remote regions that find the standard units to be costly (Ntamwira et al, 2017). For tissue culture, cost per unit of planting material can be reduced in large-scale production.…”

Effect of manure amount and improved application technique at corm burial on the propagation of enset (Ensete ventricosum) suckers

“…Macropropagation (i.e. cloning by using a corm piece with the apical meristem removed) of Musaceae is recognized as a cost-efficient way to obtain planting materials (Ntamwira et al, 2017). When farmers bury enset corms for vegetative reproduction, manure is usually placed on the soil surface (Diro, 1997), claiming that corms will otherwise rot (personal communication with farmers).…”

Assessing The Adoption Of Macro Propagation Technology (MPT) Among Plantain And Banana Farmers In Ondo State, Nigeria

“…They produce fruits all year round for up to one hundred years under a suitably managed cropping system and provide extremely valuable food sources during the hunger season. However, most farmers depend on natural regeneration of existing plantain and banana to obtain suckers (Ntamwira et al, 2017). This is a very slow process and usually does not yield adequate numbers of suckers.…”