You are in: All categories > Chapters > Crops > Horticulture > Fruit and vegetables > Bananas

Collection and evaluation of wild Musa species

Code: 9781786769411
Publication date: 23/11/2020
Extent: 10 pages

Contributions by: Hugo A. Volkaert, Center for Agricultural Biotechnology – Kasetsart University, Thailand

Chapter synopsis: The genus Musa includes about 70 species distributed throughout the Asian tropics and subtropics from India, Southern China and Southern Japan in the north to Northern Australia in the south and the islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The haploid chromosome number in the subgenus Musa is 11 while in the subgenus Callimusa the haploid chromosome number is 10 except for Musa beccarii where 2n = 2x = 18. Musa ingens has a haploid chromosome number of 7 and is classified separate from the two subgenera. Several of the Musa species are appreciated as ornamentals in gardens and greenhouses, but the most important wild species are the relatives of the edible bananas and plantains (M. acuminata, M. balbisiana and M. schizocarpa from the subgenus Musa) and the relatives of the Fe’I (M. peekelii, M. lolodensis and M. maclayi in the subgenus Callimusa).

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2020.0070.07
£25.00
Buy ePub   
Table of contents 1 Introduction 2 The importance of collecting and characterizing wild Musa germplasm 3 An estimation of the genetic diversity missing from the Musa Germplasm Transit Centre (ITC) 4 Conserving cultivars versus wild germplasm 5 Conclusions 6 Where to look for further information 7 Acknowledgements 8 References

Related products

Also in Bananas