natedogg1026

Was hoping some of you would share your thoughts and opinions on tissue culture plants vs. pups. Thanx in advance.-Nate

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Richard

Gabe recently gave us some great info on this topic, starting with post #12 in this thread: http://www.bananas.org/f16/tissue-cu...html#post39658

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natedogg1026

Thanx Richard. I figured this had been discussed and I missed it.

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

Gabe15

Well I can add little more info directly to TC vs. pups.

I really can't think of any disadvantages of TC plants. Some hobby growers don't like them because they are "harder" to grow, but this is often due to the fact that they are grown in low light levels in small containers and really stretch out and become weak, this is the fault of whoever is growing them and selling them, not in the plants themselves. Its comparable to separating a pup that is very small, it would too be hard to grow. However, even if you get really really tiny TC plants, right out of the test tube, they are actually quite easy to grow if you know how to care for them. Also, TC plants have been shown to grow faster, fruit earlier and produce larger bunches than suckers grown in the same (optimal) conditions, but this is really a minor gain in the big scheme of things. I would say though that suckers are usually easier for the inexperienced hobby grower to handle, since they are usually separated when of decent size and can handle more abuse.

There however serious disadvantages to using suckers in some situations. The main one being that with so many virulent banana pathogens out there today, often the only way to control them is to make sure you are planting clean plants. TC plants can be tested easily for diseases, all you need to do is test an explant early on in the micropropagation, and if its clean you will know that all of the clones of that plant will be clean too (which ends up being thousands of plants). Often growers will accept plants from neighbors and other farmers, although its very kind, it is a serious vector of banana pathogens. It may not mean much the hobbyist growing a couple basjoos in North America, but for the small scale farmer who is depending on their banana field for food and money, it is vital that they have clean plants and that their neighbors have clean plants as well. Alternatively, if a lab doesn't test for viruses in the TC plants, and there is one present, they could potentially distribute mass quantities of infected plants.

So, in both cases, there are advantages as disadvantages, both need special care and attention to avoid problems. In my experience, it doesn't matter, as long as its true to type. After just a couple months of solid growth you can't even tell the difference, and by the time they are mature there truly is no difference.

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natedogg1026

As always, thank you for your insight Gabe. You are very well respected here.

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Banana's are a safe addiction. Right?Maybe I need classes.

modenacart

The TC I had of an orinoco grew way faster than the pup I had of the same type.

griphuz

Still I hear (maybe only rumors, I can't scientifically proove them) stings about TC basjoo being less strong/cold hardy than norma basjoo, and the same for Musella's.
I did experience this overwintering a non-TC Musella several winters outside, not suceeding this with TC Musella's from different sources. Might be coincidence,...but still remarkable.

There is one major flaw to TC though,....it's very hard to prop Musa 'AeAe' for example,...variegated plants seem to have difficulties, resulting either in full green plants, of fully white plants that won't survive because of the lack of chlorophylle.
Kind regards,
Remko.

gadget

journal article on tc vs suckers
http://www.jtropag.in/index.php/ojs/.../viewFile/10/5

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Last edited by gadget : 08-28-2008 at 01:30 AM.