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shannondicorse
05-12-2013, 01:38 PM
Hi All,

Banana Breeding on Trinidad - You Do Not Exist - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlYCp6bFmuU)

This is a YouTube video from a group of young artists who are seeking to re-domesticate bananas from wild bananas!

They have excellent reasons.. it seems!!

They are located on the island of Trinidad, 7 miles from the coast of Northern South America.

Please tell me what you think.

Thanks,

shannon (shannon.di.corse@gmail.com)

robert0514
05-12-2013, 03:27 PM
Very interesting and inspirational, makes me want to go out and do the same thing, there is one problem though. Bananas don't grow in the wild in the UK so I guess I'll have to stick to the confines of my own garden and poly tunnel.

shannondicorse
05-12-2013, 03:45 PM
Robert,

try using dwarf cultivar pollen (from cavendish ultra dwarfs, dwarf namwah etc...) on Musa velutina -itself a dwarf species. Unlike some acuminata and all balbisiana; veltina is self-fertile - a single inflorescence can pollinate itself. You will have to emasculate the flowers on emergence. Let some flowers pollinate themselves though.. this will guarantee fruitset. Thus, the cross-pollinated ovaries will not likely abort because of poor seed set.

Dwarf namwah has some cold resistance because of its BB-containing genome (it's an ABB).

I think the best way to go with breeding cold-tolerant bananas is to go with annuals. DO look for Pup-to-Fruit in under 1 year. Velutina (female) X Namwa dwarf (male)... and PLEASE don't look for "antifreeze" genes - i think that breeding for seedlesness in cold countries should involve an annual cycle.

It a question of resetting goals and redesigning the concept.

I'll try to help in whatever way I can...


shannon