Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where?

sddarkman619 · 08-10-2012, 12:13 PM

I guess I am a little confused, I am under the impression that the place to take tissue for TC is the pseudostem, or down where the stem meets the corm, correct?

but what is this meristem I am also hearing about?

can someone explain to me or show me a diagram of a banana plant these places:
Pseudostem
meristem
corm(bulbous base of plant?)

I'm getting ready to harvest some pups and wanted to make sure I am going to be using the right areas but have gotten a little confused.

Is the meristem down towards the bottom of the plant where the stem and leaves actually start? or is it at the top?

and the speudostem is what?

I guess you can plant a corm and it will produce pups, but you can't TC just the corm because it won't produce because there is no pseudostem/meristem?

thanks for the help.
Larry

Gabe15 · 08-10-2012, 12:49 PM

In this diagram "gp" (growing point) means meristem.

sddarkman619 · 08-10-2012, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe15

In this diagram "gp" (growing point) means meristem.

So is that the only point I can use to do TC? I must make sure I have that in order to get a viable TC going correct?

And when we talked about quartering a Corm, and planting the quarters, those will grow new pups even though there's no pseudostem? of is the GP part of each of those quarters?

thanks

jmoore · 08-11-2012, 01:45 AM

At the base of each pseudostem you will find a meristem, if you have 2 pseudostems you will have 2 meristems. The meristem is a ball of unspecialised cells, they will either be triggered to become a leaf or a flower bud.

Also at the base of each sheath there is a dormant meristem, this is what you are stimulating to grow when you carry out TC on a plant. They are kept dormant by the dominance of the growing meristem. If the dominant meristem is damaged (or the dominance remove) then another meristem is stimulated to start growing. All governed by growth regulators produced by the plant and that are produced artificially for the purposes of TC.

If you quarter a corm it will only produce a pup where it has an eye, much like potatoes have eyes, so do corms. They look like swellings on the corm that come to a little point. These do not have meristems yet as they haven't produced a pseudostem. These will be no good for TC. However if you cut one off with a bit of corm it will grow into a plant.

sddarkman619 · 08-11-2012, 11:27 PM

When I cut into my tissue donors today, I could totally see the different regions indicated in the picture. Thanks!

sddarkman619 · 08-15-2012, 01:49 PM

I photoshoped some images of one of my cultures to ask if I am using the correct parts or if I need to trim it back further.

This is a TC I did with the merristem cut in half, I outlined the merristem tip with photoshop:

Here's is the diagram I created of said TC, as you can see there are leaf sheaths left on there some cortex and then the merristem in the middle. Is this ok to do leaving sheath on there? or should I cut it down so there's no sheaths left?

Here are some diagrams of possible slices to use, should these be used in this style of cutting? Or should I be using ONLY the merristem? I am also assuming the merristem is not just the tip it also goes deeper than just the very tip, yes?

Slicing the merristem with some of the cortex on the outer cuts, is that ok?

or is it ok to keep some of the other parts of the plant such as the sheath and such?

Also can the cuts be made by slicing vertically in a pattern or does it have to be in a quartered type pattern?

thanks
Larry

sddarkman619 · 08-17-2012, 10:41 PM

Could I get a bump?
Gabe? Jmoore? Bueller?Bueller?

Hammocked Banana · 11-20-2012, 05:37 AM

Bump x2

sunfish · 11-20-2012, 06:22 AM

Bump 3

Gabe15 · 11-20-2012, 12:57 PM

Sorry I missed this earlier.

The dome shape that you see there and have labeled as "meristem" is not quite accurate, it is more like what you have labeled as "cortex" along with "growing point". The meristem is a region that spreads laterally between the corm cortex and the pseudostem. What you have labeled as "meristem" is actually more the corm cortex.

I would not recommend making the slices as you have outlined above. The explant should be older and more developed before you subculture it, but when you do, just halve or quarter the whole piece by making a cut directly through from the top of the pseduostem sheaths, down through the meristem, and through the corm. You cannot isolate the meristem tissue really, all you need is to cut pieces that contain some meristem tissue and they will continue to grow. If you were to cut as you out lined above, and threw away the rest of the tissue, you would risk throwing away the meristem.

I recommend taking a piece like you have there and just splitting it into two pieces, if you have it on the right medium, the bud should regenerate into a circular-type mini bud and produce a few more buds too, each of which can be quartered in a similar way as shown below.

sddarkman619 · 11-20-2012, 01:58 PM

Thamks for the bump Tony and Thanks for the info Gabe!! It makes sense now.

edzone9 · 11-28-2012, 08:09 PM

I Must Admit , All This TC Talk Is Very Ineresting !
Sounds Like A Cool Hobby ...

Good Luck With Your TC !

08-10-2012, 12:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
sddarkman619 Banana Man Find me on the map! Name: Larry Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 1,148 BananaBucks : 188,771 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 340 Times Was Thanked 1,219 Times in 535 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? I guess I am a little confused, I am under the impression that the place to take tissue for TC is the pseudostem, or down where the stem meets the corm, correct? but what is this meristem I am also hearing about? can someone explain to me or show me a diagram of a banana plant these places: Pseudostem meristem corm(bulbous base of plant?) I'm getting ready to harvest some pups and wanted to make sure I am going to be using the right areas but have gotten a little confused. Is the meristem down towards the bottom of the plant where the stem and leaves actually start? or is it at the top? and the speudostem is what? I guess you can plant a corm and it will produce pups, but you can't TC just the corm because it won't produce because there is no pseudostem/meristem? thanks for the help. Larry __________________ Ca Licensed Nursery - Snail/Disease Free and Inspected: Bountiful Garden Nursery - A1469.001 Banana Plants for Sale https://www.bananatreesforsale.com Sign up to the Newsletter for Updates: Sign Up Here

08-10-2012, 12:49 PM	#2 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,339,530 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 8,237 Times in 2,200 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? In this diagram "gp" (growing point) means meristem. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

08-11-2012, 01:45 AM	#4 (permalink)
jmoore jmoore 's Photo Gallery Location: Lowestoft, UK Zone: 8a Name: James Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 766 BananaBucks : 118,911 Feedback: 4 / 100% Said "Thanks" 192 Times Was Thanked 799 Times in 373 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 71 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? At the base of each pseudostem you will find a meristem, if you have 2 pseudostems you will have 2 meristems. The meristem is a ball of unspecialised cells, they will either be triggered to become a leaf or a flower bud. Also at the base of each sheath there is a dormant meristem, this is what you are stimulating to grow when you carry out TC on a plant. They are kept dormant by the dominance of the growing meristem. If the dominant meristem is damaged (or the dominance remove) then another meristem is stimulated to start growing. All governed by growth regulators produced by the plant and that are produced artificially for the purposes of TC. If you quarter a corm it will only produce a pup where it has an eye, much like potatoes have eyes, so do corms. They look like swellings on the corm that come to a little point. These do not have meristems yet as they haven't produced a pseudostem. These will be no good for TC. However if you cut one off with a bit of corm it will grow into a plant.

08-11-2012, 11:27 PM	#5 (permalink)
sddarkman619 Banana Man Find me on the map! Name: Larry Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 1,148 BananaBucks : 188,771 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 340 Times Was Thanked 1,219 Times in 535 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? When I cut into my tissue donors today, I could totally see the different regions indicated in the picture. Thanks! __________________ Ca Licensed Nursery - Snail/Disease Free and Inspected: Bountiful Garden Nursery - A1469.001 Banana Plants for Sale https://www.bananatreesforsale.com Sign up to the Newsletter for Updates: Sign Up Here

08-15-2012, 01:49 PM	#6 (permalink)
sddarkman619 Banana Man Find me on the map! Name: Larry Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 1,148 BananaBucks : 188,771 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 340 Times Was Thanked 1,219 Times in 535 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, Slicing? I photoshoped some images of one of my cultures to ask if I am using the correct parts or if I need to trim it back further. This is a TC I did with the merristem cut in half, I outlined the merristem tip with photoshop: Here's is the diagram I created of said TC, as you can see there are leaf sheaths left on there some cortex and then the merristem in the middle. Is this ok to do leaving sheath on there? or should I cut it down so there's no sheaths left? Here are some diagrams of possible slices to use, should these be used in this style of cutting? Or should I be using ONLY the merristem? I am also assuming the merristem is not just the tip it also goes deeper than just the very tip, yes? Slicing the merristem with some of the cortex on the outer cuts, is that ok? or is it ok to keep some of the other parts of the plant such as the sheath and such? Also can the cuts be made by slicing vertically in a pattern or does it have to be in a quartered type pattern? thanks Larry __________________ Ca Licensed Nursery - Snail/Disease Free and Inspected: Bountiful Garden Nursery - A1469.001 Banana Plants for Sale https://www.bananatreesforsale.com Sign up to the Newsletter for Updates: Sign Up Here

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08-17-2012, 10:41 PM	#7 (permalink)
sddarkman619 Banana Man Find me on the map! Name: Larry Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 1,148 BananaBucks : 188,771 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 340 Times Was Thanked 1,219 Times in 535 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? Could I get a bump? Gabe? Jmoore? Bueller?Bueller? __________________ Ca Licensed Nursery - Snail/Disease Free and Inspected: Bountiful Garden Nursery - A1469.001 Banana Plants for Sale https://www.bananatreesforsale.com Sign up to the Newsletter for Updates: Sign Up Here

11-20-2012, 05:37 AM	#8 (permalink)
Hammocked Banana Relaxin Under the Nanners Location: Toronto, ON and Peterborough, ON Find me on the map! Zone: 6a and 5a respectively Name: Brady Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 958 BananaBucks : 53,088 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,178 Times Was Thanked 1,156 Times in 555 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 30 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? Bump x2

11-20-2012, 06:22 AM	#9 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 946,644 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,591 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? Bump 3

11-20-2012, 12:57 PM	#10 (permalink)
Gabe15 Moderator Gabe15's Photo Gallery Location: Oahu, Hawaii Find me on the map! Zone: 12 Name: Gabe Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,892 BananaBucks : 13,339,530 Feedback: 5 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1 Times Was Thanked 8,237 Times in 2,200 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 8 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? Sorry I missed this earlier. The dome shape that you see there and have labeled as "meristem" is not quite accurate, it is more like what you have labeled as "cortex" along with "growing point". The meristem is a region that spreads laterally between the corm cortex and the pseudostem. What you have labeled as "meristem" is actually more the corm cortex. I would not recommend making the slices as you have outlined above. The explant should be older and more developed before you subculture it, but when you do, just halve or quarter the whole piece by making a cut directly through from the top of the pseduostem sheaths, down through the meristem, and through the corm. You cannot isolate the meristem tissue really, all you need is to cut pieces that contain some meristem tissue and they will continue to grow. If you were to cut as you out lined above, and threw away the rest of the tissue, you would risk throwing away the meristem. I recommend taking a piece like you have there and just splitting it into two pieces, if you have it on the right medium, the bud should regenerate into a circular-type mini bud and produce a few more buds too, each of which can be quartered in a similar way as shown below. __________________ Growing bananas in Colorado, Washington, Hawaii since 2004. Commercial banana farmer, 200+ varieties.

11-20-2012, 01:58 PM	#11 (permalink)
sddarkman619 Banana Man Find me on the map! Name: Larry Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 1,148 BananaBucks : 188,771 Feedback: 14 / 100% Said "Thanks" 340 Times Was Thanked 1,219 Times in 535 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 1 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? Thamks for the bump Tony and Thanks for the info Gabe!! It makes sense now. __________________ Ca Licensed Nursery - Snail/Disease Free and Inspected: Bountiful Garden Nursery - A1469.001 Banana Plants for Sale https://www.bananatreesforsale.com Sign up to the Newsletter for Updates: Sign Up Here

11-28-2012, 08:09 PM	#12 (permalink)
edzone9 Location: Florida Zone 9 Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Name: Ed Join Date: Nov 2012 Posts: 916 BananaBucks : 255,053 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 1,140 Times Was Thanked 952 Times in 415 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 10 Times	Re: Some questions: Psuedostem, Meristem, where? I Must Admit , All This TC Talk Is Very Ineresting ! Sounds Like A Cool Hobby ... Good Luck With Your TC !

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