Question for Gabe, Tim, or anyone else
 

The new Musa 'Helens' hybrid has got me wondering. It says on the RPS website that it will be the closest thing to a cold hardy edible banana.
In order to get fruit will you have to pollinate the flowers, or will they plump up without seeds? Maybe the chimi champa genes will trasfer to the seedlings and it will be a seedless plump banana?
I have read a few things about the number of chromosomes, but some of it still leaves me with questions.:rolleyes:
Can a seedless be crossed with a seeded, and some seedlings will naturally be seedless? In theory at least?
Thanks, Kyle

Re: Question for Gabe, Tim, or anyone else
 

Kyle,
The chromosome count of 'Helen's Hybrid' could be 2n=22, standard Eumusa. However when edibles are crossed with wilds, depending on the count of the edible, they can turn out triploids or tetraploids.

What it sounds like to me is that this hybrid is possibly parthenocarpic while remaining both male and female fertile, like Musa 'Yangambi KM 5' aka 'Ibota'. Also similar perhaps to 'Saba' and 'Cardaba' where they will set edible, parthenocarpic fruit normally, but also produce seeds with a source of pollen.

These are all just guess's, I suppose someone will have to grow it and find out!

Re: Question for Gabe, Tim, or anyone else
 

Thanks Gabe,
Now the "ploids" are coming back to me. The sikkiminsis hybrid is probally seeded, and the straight chimi champa would be a better bet.
It would be nice to cross a tetraploid with a hardy banana!